This is a list of abbreviations commonly used by
booksellers
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process.
People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen.
History
The foundi ...
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*ABA:
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the Ireland and Great Britain for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. The ABA organises a number of book fairs every year including it ...
*ABAA:
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) is an organization in the United States for dealers in rare and antiquarian books. The association is a member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).
History
Fo ...
*A.e.g.: All edges gilt.
*A.e.s.: All edges stained.
*A.L.s.: Autograph letter, signed.
*ARC:
Advance reading copy
An advance copy—also known as an ARC (advance reading copy or advance review copy), ARE (advance reader's edition), reader's edition, or galley—is a free copy of a new book given out by a publisher before the book is widely available. ARCs a ...
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*BCE: Book Club edition.
*Bd.: Bound.
*Bdg.: Binding.
*Bds.: Boards.
*B.e.p.:
Back endpaper.
*B.f.e.p.:
Back free endpaper.
*B.L.:
Blackletter
Blackletter (sometimes black letter or black-letter), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule or Gothic type, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 until the 17th century. It continued to be commonly used for ...
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*BOMC:
Book-of-the-Month Club
Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ch ...
.
*c. ''or'' ca.: Circa; around/about (referring to date)
*C. & p.: Collated and perfect.
*Cf.:
Calf.
*Cl.: Cloth.
*CR ''or'' CPR ''or'' ©: Copyright
*CWO: Check or cash with order.
*Dec.: Decorated.
*D.j.: Dust jacket.
*D.S.: Document signed.
*DW: Dustwrapper (same as dust jacket, or book jacket)
*Ed.: Edition or editor.
*Endp. or e.p.:
Endpaper
The endpapers or end-papers of a book (also known as the endsheets) are the pages that consist of a double-size sheet folded, with one half pasted against an inside cover (the pastedown), and the other serving as the first free page (the free ...
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*Eng. ''or'' engr.: Engraved(ing).
*Ex-lib: Ex-Library copy, a book once held in library.
Not to be confused with Ex Libris.
*Ex Libris: From the library of, referring to previous owner—often found on
bookplates
An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...
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*F: Fine condition.
*Facs.:
Facsimile
A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of r ...
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*F.e.p.:
Front endpaper.
*F.f.e.p.:
Front free endpaper.
*FL: Flyleaf
*Frontis. or front. or fp.:
Frontispiece
Frontispiece may refer to:
* Frontispiece (books), a decorative illustration facing a book's title page
* Frontispiece (architecture)
In architecture, the term frontispiece is used to describe the Façade, principal face of the building, usually ...
.
*G: Good condition.
*G. ''or'' gt.: Gilt.
*G.e.: Gilt edges.
*HC/HCV: Hardcover.
*Hf. bd.: Half bound.
*Illus. ''or'' ills. ''or'' ill.: Illustrated.
*IOBA: Independent Online Booksellers Association
*Litho:
Lithograph
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
.
*Ltd. Ed.: Limited Edition.
*M.e.: Marbled edges.
*Mco., mor.:
Morocco leather
Morocco leather (also known as Levant, the French Maroquin, Turkey, or German Saffian from Safi, a Moroccan town famous for leather) is a vegetable-tanned leather known for its softness, pliability, and ability to take color. It has been widely ...
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*MS(S). Manuscript(s).
*N.d.: No date.
*NF: Near Fine condition.
*N.p.: No place, publisher, or printer.
*N.p.c.: not price clipped (of the jacket).
*NYR ''or'' NYP: Not Yet Released or Not Yet Published
*OSI: Out of Stock Indefinitely
*O.p.: Out-of-Print.
*P.b. ''or'' p.p.b.: Paperback.
*P.c.: price clipped (of the jacket).
*Pl(s).: Plate(s).
*P.P.: Privately printed.
*pp: Pages; p (and then the number) for page; pp for plural pages.
*PPD: Postpaid.
*Pr.: Printing.
*Pseud.:
Pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
.
*Pub(d).: Publisher/published.
*REP:
Rear endpaper.
*RFEP:
Rear free endpaper
The endpapers or end-papers of a book (also known as the endsheets) are the pages that consist of a double-size sheet folded, with one half pasted against an inside cover (the pastedown), and the other serving as the first free page (the free ...
.
*RET: Returnable
*SLC or SC: Slipcase
*SGD: Signed
*T.e.g.: Top edge gilt.
*T.L.s.: Typed letter, signed.
*T.p.:
Title-page.
*TS.:
Typescript
TypeScript (abbreviated as TS) is a high-level programming language that adds static typing with optional type annotations to JavaScript. It is designed for developing large applications and transpiles to JavaScript. It is developed by Micr ...
.
*Vol. ''or'' vols.: Volume/volumes.
*VG: Very Good condition.
*W.a.f.: With all faults.
See also
*
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from ...
*
List of used book conditions
References
{{Books
*
Booksellers
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process.
People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen.
History
The foundi ...
Bookselling