OctavoOctavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multiple pages of text were printed to form the individual sections (or gatherings) of a book.
Paper sizeStandard sizes of paperPaper sizes A0 to A8, life-size installation The Invasion of the Square Roots at the CosmoCaixa Barcelona science museumA size chart illustrating the ISO A series and a comparison with American letter and legal formatsComparison of some paper and photographic paper sizes close to the A4 sizePaper sizestandards govern the size of sheets of paper used as writing paper, stationery, cards, and for some printed documents.
Sibyllenbuch fragmentThe Sibyllenbuchfragment is a partial book leaf which may be the earliest surviving remnant of any European book that was printed using movable type. The Sibyllenbuch, or Book of the Sibyls, was a medieval poem which held prophecies concerning the fate of the Holy Roman Empire.
Broadside (printing)A broadside is a large sheet of paper printed on one side only. Historically in Europe, broadsides were used as posters, announcing events or proclamations, giving political views, commentary in the form of ballads, or simply advertisements. In Japan, chromoxylographic broadsheets featuring artistic prints were common.
Gutenberg BibleThe Gutenberg Bible, also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42, is the earliest major book printed in Europe using mass-produced metal movable type. It marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed books in the West. The book is valued and revered for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities and its historical significance.
Ablative caseIn grammar, the ablative case (pronounced ; abbreviatedabl) is a grammatical case for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in the grammars of various languages. It is used to indicate motion away from something. In different languages it can additionally serve various other purposes, e.g., to make comparisons (in Armenian). The word "ablative" derives from the Latinablatus, the (suppletive) perfect, passive participle of auferre "to carry away".
Book sizeThe 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 folio (the largest), to quarto (smaller) and octavo (still smaller).
Incunabula Short Title CatalogueThe Incunabula Short Title Catalogue (ISTC) is an international, electronic, bibliographic database of 15th-Century European printing. Started by the British Library, it seeks to catalogue all known incunabula. The database lists books by individual editions, recording standard bibliographic details for each edition as well as giving a brief census of known copies, organised by location. It currently holds records of over 30,000 editions.
Johannes GutenbergJohannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (c. 1393–1406 – 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press enabled a much faster rate of printing. The printing press later spread across the world, and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe.
Elizabethan eraEpoch in English history (1558–1603)MonarchElizabeth ILeadersElizabeth IWilliam Cecil, 1st Baron BurghleyThomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of SussexFrancis WalsinghamRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterFrancis Knollys the ElderSee others at List of ministers to Queen Elizabeth I.
FolioThe term "folio" (from Latin folium'leaf') has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book made in this way; second, it is a general term for a sheet, leaf or page in (especially) manuscripts and old books; and third, it is an approximate term for the size of a book, and for a book of this size.
IncunableAn incunable or incunabulum (pl.: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentially arbitrary, but the number of printed book editions exploded in the following century, so that all incunabula, produced before the printing press became widespread in Europe, are rare, where even some early 16th-century books are relatively common.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.