Did you know there are MANY parts of a book beyond the covers and pages? Prior to collecting and selling old books, my "bookspeak" vernacular was minimal. If you are or were like me, then read on to familiarize yourself with bibliophile lingo.
There are primarily two types of books: hardcover and softcover. As the name implies, hardcover or hardback books, have covers made from sturdy book board. Book board is generally made from cotton fibers or wood pulp. The boards are then covered with another material, such as vinyl, cloth or leather. There are even a few books in existence made from human skin! Some hardcover books are sold in slipcases, which are 5–sided boxes that protect the books. Softcover books have pliable paper covers, thus their other name: paperbacks.
Many hardcover books also have a book jacket. Other terms for the jacket include dust jacket, dust wrapper, or dust cover. The jacket is a detachable outer cover often made of paper. Most dust jackets get lost or destroyed over time. A rare or popular book with an intact dust jacket will often sell for a significant premium over a book without the jacket.
The book covers protect the textblock, which is the body of the book. It's the collection of pages, or leaves, of the book without the covers. Groups of pages are referred to as signatures; they are printed together on a single sheet of paper, then folded and trimmed to form the book. A disbound book means the covers have separated from the textblock.
Bookbinding is the process of joining together the book covers and signatures to form the book. Hardcover books are usually sewn together while paperback books are often glued. Once the bookbinding process is complete, the joint refers to the outer hinge of the book, while the hinge is the inside flexible area where the cover meets the spine. If a book was either well loved or mishandled, it has cracked or broken hinges.
The spine is the outer case of the binding, where all the pages are bound together. It's the part that is visible when the book is stored properly on a shelf. The backstrip covers the spine and may be made from a different material than the covers. It often contains the name of the book and the author. Some spines will have illustrations, the edition, or the publisher's name.
Opposite the spine is the fore edge, or the side of the book you use to thumb through the pages. Some books have fore edge paintings, where a scene is painted on the edges of the book pages. The top of the textblock is the top edge and not surprisingly, the bottom is the bottom edge. A popular technique applies gold gilt to the edges of the book. If you see the acronym, AEG, in a book description, it refers to "All Edges Gilt."
Another popular embellishment to the covers of hardback books is blindstamping. Merriam-Webster defines it as, "to stamp (as the cover of a book) without gilding or coloring." Often, color is applied to the design to create a more striking look. The application of gold gilt was very popular during the Victorian Era.
Finally, some books come in with a built-in bookmark called a ribbon marker. These narrow strips are attached to the book and often made of silk.