A

• Address (Imprint): Information on the title page regarding place, printer/publisher, and date.
• Album amicorum: A "friendship album" or autograph book, popular in the 16th-17th centuries.
• Approbation: Official ecclesiastical approval to print a work, especially before the 18th century.
• Armorial binding: A binding decorated with a coat of arms, often indicating provenance.
• Artist's book: A work conceived as an art object by collaboration between author and artist.
• Autograph: A manuscript or signature written in the hand of the author.
• Autograph note: A short signed message by a notable figure.

B

• Bibliography: A systematic list of books related to a particular subject or author.
• Bifolium: A single sheet of paper or parchment folded to make two leaves or four pages.
• Bradel binding: A tight-back binding with a flat spine, often covered in cloth or paper.
• Burin engraving: Copperplate engraving made using a burin (graver).

C

• China / Japan / Vellum / Dutch paper: Types of fine papers used for luxury printings.
• Clamshell box: A protective box for rare or valuable books.
• Colophon: A statement, usually at the end of a book, giving details of its printing or publication.
• Covers (Boards): The front and back boards of a book.

D

• Dedication: A printed text usually appearing at the beginning of a book, through which the author pays tribute to a peer or patron in acknowledgment of their intellectual, moral, or financial influence on the work being dedicated. If the copy is actually inscribed by the author to whom the book is dedicated, it is known as a dedication copy.
• Deluxe first issue (tirage de tête): The most limited and highly sought-after deluxe issue of an edition, printed on a superior quality of paper than the main bulk of the edition.
• Deluxe issues (grands papiers): Numbered and limited issues printed on different superior qualities of paper for each issue, and explicitly recorded in the colophon or justification page.
• Deluxe paper copies: Copies printed on high-quality papers such as Japan, vellum, or chine.
• Dentelle: Ornamental gilt tooling on the edges of a binding, resembling lace.
• Double-page spread: Two facing pages forming a unified visual or textual design.
• Drop cap: A large, often decorative initial at the beginning of a section.

E

• Editio princeps: The first printed edition of a classical or medieval work.
• Edition statement: A note detailing the printing state, issue, or variant of an edition.
• Endpapers: The sheets at the front and back of a book connecting the text block to the cover.
• Engraving: A printed image made from an incised plate (copper, wood, or steel).
• Epistle (Prefatory letter): A preliminary text, often dedicatory, addressed to the reader or patron.
• Ex dono: A gift inscription indicating the book was given by someone.
• Ex-libris: A bookplate or other mark of ownership.

F

• False edition statement: A fictitious edition number printed on the cover or title page of a copy, giving it the same imprint as the original edition. Read our article: What is a 'false statement of edition'?
• False imprint: A fictitious place or date of publication, often to evade censorship.
• False limitation statement: An invented limitation number printed on the cover or title page of a copy. A "thousand" (mille) refers to a print run issued in a single series, typically between 400 and 1,000 copies.
• Family register (Livre de raison): A handwritten family or professional record book.
• Fascicle: A single part of a book issued in separate installments.
• Fine binding: A carefully crafted binding, usually in leather with gilt decoration.
• First edition: The first published edition of a text, often collectible.
• Folio: A book format resulting from folding a sheet once; also used to refer to large-format books.
• Four-color printing: A process using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, common in illustrated books.
• Frontispiece: An illustration facing the title page.
• Full binding: A binding fully covered in the same material (e.g., full leather).

G

• Gathering (Quire): A group of folded sheets bound together within a book.
• Gilt edges / Mottled / Marbled edges: Decorative finishes to the page edges.
• Gilt monogram: Gilded initials on a binding, typically indicating a previous owner.
• Gloss: A marginal or footnote explanation or commentary.

H

• Half-title: A page bearing an abbreviated title, preceding the main title page.
• Headband and tailband: Decorative and structural elements at the head and foot of the spine.

I

• Illumination: Painted or gold decoration in a manuscript.
• Illustrated: A book containing images-engravings, woodcuts, photographs, etc.
• Imprimatur: Ecclesiastical license to print, usually found in early religious works.
• Incunable (plural: incunabula): Books printed before 1501.
• Inscription: A handwritten dedication, usually by the author.
• Inserted plate: An illustration printed separately from the text block.

J

• Joint (Hinge): The part of a binding where the cover meets the spine.
• Justification: Statement specifying the total number of printed copies of a book, or a particular part of an edition, i.e. ht on deluxe paper. When the copy belongs to a deluxe limited issue, its individual limitation number is stated beneath this notice.

L

• Laid lines: Parallel lines visible in early handmade paper, seen by holding the leaf to light.
• Leaf: A single sheet in a book, printed on both sides (recto and verso).
• Legal deposit: The obligation to deposit a copy of any published book with a national library.
• Limited edition: A printing run restricted to a fixed number of copies, often signed or numbered.
• Limited issue: A restricted number of copies printed, often numbered individually.

M

• Manuscript: A handwritten text, either by the author or a copyist.
• Mosaic binding: A decorative leather binding with inlays of variously colored leather.

N

• Not-for-sale copy: A copy marked as not intended for commercial sale.

P

• Paragraph indent: The typographic indentation marking the start of a new paragraph.
• Photogravure: A photographic image printed from a copper plate.
• Pirated edition: An unauthorized reprint, usually made without consent.
• Posthumous edition: A work published after the author's death.
• Presentation case: A deluxe box or slipcase housing a book or book set.
• Presentation copy: Copy gifted by the author with a signed inscription in the author's hand to a named recipient. From a bibliographical standpoint, a distinction is made between an inscribed copy - merely signed in response to an owner's request - and a presentation copy, which reflects the author's own initiative and intention. If the recipient is important or associated in a meaningful way with the author, it is known as an association copy.
• Printer's device: A printer's emblem or typographical mark.
• Printer's mark: A symbol identifying the printer or publishing house.
• Provenance: The history of ownership of a book, traceable through inscriptions, bookplates, or bindings.
• Pseudonym: A name used by an author in place of their real name.
• Publisher's cloth: Original cloth binding, often decorative, especially 19th century.

R

• Raised bands: Ridges on a book's spine created by sewing supports.
• Reprint: An identical reproduction of a previously printed edition.
• Romantic binding: A richly gilt 19th-century style of decorative binding.
• Running title: A short title at the top of pages throughout the book.

S

• Second and subsequent issues: Deluxe paper copies, known as deluxe limited issues (grands papiers), arranged in ascending order of limitation.
• Sheepskin (Basane): A low-cost tanned sheepskin used in binding.
• Signature (printer's guide): A letter or number at the foot of a leaf guiding the binder.
• Slipcase: A protective sleeve for a book.
• Spine: The edge of the binding visible when a book is shelved; may show title, author, etc.

T

• Tailpiece: A small typographic ornament at the end of a chapter or text.
• Title page: The page displaying full bibliographic details.

U

• Unica: Latin plural form of unicum, used to describe multiple unique copies.
• Unicat: A book of which only one known copy exists.
• Unicum: Latin singular form of unicat.

V

• Vellum: Fine parchment, or fine paper imitating parchment.

W

• Watermark: A design embedded in the paper visible when held to light, often indicating authenticity.
• Wrapper: A soft cover, often temporary or publisher-issued.