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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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Be invited to download your free copy of The Antiquarian Book Glossary.

16mo

Sextodecimo

A small book, approximately 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall. To make it, each sheet of paper is folded four times, forming sixteen leaves (32 pages).

4to

Quarto

The size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper twice to form four leaves.

8vo

Octavo

The size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper three times to form eight leaves.

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