Glossary of Rare Book Terms

What is a rare book? What is signed versus inscribed? What is a first edition? What does 8vo stand for?
Find some of the common jargon booksellers and book collectors often use.

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Octavo or 8vo
The size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper three times to form eight leaves.
Offsetting
When one material "bleeds" onto another. For example, the ink from a plate might transfer onto the facing page or dust jacket flaps might "ghost" onto the endpapers. Offsetting occurs often (although not exclusively) from ink or acidity.