AbeBooks Explains the Parts Of A Book

If you have ever been confused by the jargon used to describe the physical parts of a book, then this video will help.

We explain and demystify a series of terms including spine, boards, hinge and joint, leaf, endpapers, book block and plates.

[joanc]

Thank you for the video and all the illustrations on the web page. Perfect for what I needed to know.

[sharegreats]

Thanks. This was a good lesson on the anatomy of a book.

[cleanothierry]

Books amaze amazed my feelings. I'm going to be at the library today.

[alexandrahope]

I loved this video! Thank you so much for all the information, it was very enlightening :)

[klinsmanhinjaya]

Thanks, AbeBooks! This video is awesome!

[eloquentlight]

Loved this - thanks for the video! I know our library volunteers will really appreciate this. Perhaps you can add one for different terms - especially those pesky 4to or 8to (quarto, octavo, etc.) sizes! Thanks!

[bookhunterrr]

Such an education. Thank you very much for this! <3

[abebooks]

Rudimentary for you maybe, this video is designed for people with a lesser knowledge of books and book collecting. Terms connected with book conditions will be handled in a separate video. Bindings will be handled in a separate video and so on. Readers don't become collectors overnight so we intend to start with the basics.

[skatersims]

What are the grooves, for your thumb, in the book block called?

[aspirazione]

A very good idea to give a reader this information

[bangband]

woo I didn't know there were so many parts. thank you for letting me know.

[ziroth]

Working at a library I've tried for a while to try and accurately describe damage to books looking at diagrams online, but I was apparently misinterpreting them. Wish I would have thought to look for this video a year ago. Although, I am still confused about what the flyleaves are, I thought they were the free endpapers.

[nerdgeekcosplay]

I’m an aspiring writer. I feel it’s my responsibility to know the parts of a book.

[wildernessofzinn]

What is a "frontispiece"?
Isn't that a picture in the front of some books?.

[philknows]

Too rudimentary: What happened to the terms you normally hear: such as foxing, folio v verso, bottom edge, singnatures, foliation, shoulder notes, reverse bevelled boards, deckle edges, unrubricated, device on verso, gutter to top, mottled calf, etc. etc.??? Most book enthusiasts have more than a Grade 5 education so expect a somewhat higher level of bibliophilic explanation.

[nyres]

The Brits make fun of deckle edge books sold in U.S.. Since it's fake and all. Deckle = faux uncut pages, it's entirely an affectation. Brits do this defensively because we give them a hard time about the terrible paper Brit publishing has a history of using to save $.

[modernbookinternational]

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