Antiquarian: Books that are valued for their age, rarity, or historical significance, often predating the 20th century.
Binding: The method and materials used to assemble the pages of a book and cover.
Colophon: A statement found at the rear of a book, providing information about the production of the book.
Dust Jacket: The paper cover often found on hardback books, used for protection and decoration.
Edition: All copies of a book printed from essentially the same setting of type, with minor changes.
Ex-Libris: A bookplate that indicates ownership, typically placed on the inside front cover of a book.
Folio: A book size, typically larger, made by folding a single sheet of paper once to create two leaves (four pages).
Foxing: Age-related spots and browning seen on old book paper.
Gilt Edges: The application of gold leaf or gold paint to the page edges of a book.
Inscribed: A book that has been written in by its author, typically dedicating it to a specific person or offering more general comments.
Limited Edition: A book that is published in a small and finite print run.
Marbled: A swirl or pattern design typically found on the endpapers or the edges of a book.
Out-of-Print: A book that is no longer being published.
Provenance: The history of ownership of a book.
Quarto: A size of a book page resulting from folding each printed sheet into four leaves (eight pages).
Rare Book: A book that is difficult to find due to limited initial print numbers, historical importance, high demand, or other factors.
Rebound: A book that has been given a new binding because the old one was damaged or worn out.
Slipcase: A protective box that houses the book, open on one side to allow the book to be easily removed.
Unopened: A book whose pages have not been cut apart along the fold, usually found in older books where the reader had to cut open the pages themselves.
Vellum: A fine parchment made originally from the skin of a calf, used for higher quality book bindings.