The following is a glossary of book collecting terms.
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Advertisements
- Advertisements placed in the binding of the book.
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Binding
- The method of holding pages or sheets together; may be simply stapled or sewn, or sewn and enclosed in wrappers, but most often refers to a "hard" binding or covers. This type of binding may be covered with cloth, various leathers, or paper over boards or other more exotic materials. The binding can be done by hand or by machine as in a publisher's "trade binding".
Boards
- Common term for the covers of a hardbound book. The term refers to the thick cardboard under the paper or cloth covering on the outside of the book. The cardboard manufactured and used for that specific purpose is called binder's board.
Book club edition
- A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually the overall quality of the book's materials is lower than the same book as printed by a traditional publishing house.
Book jacket
- The paper, often with illustrations and information about the book and author, used as a protective covering over the book; usually referred to as a "dust jacket" or "dj", sometimes called a "dust wrapper". Dust jacket art work is used to promote and sell the book.
Brodart
- Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometimes added to the book jacket or outside covering of a book. The name refers to the company by the same name which produces many book repair and archival products.