Glossary of Book and Ephemera Terms and Abbreviations
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vanity press. 1. a company that provides services, such as printing and publicity, for authors who want to self publish; also called a subsidy publisher. 2. general term for any book that was published by the author ("self published") or at the author's expense.
variant. 1. book differing in one or more features from others of the same [printing], such as a different color cloth, but it is unknown which was manufactured first. See [point of issue]. 2. document having the same description as a similar document, but having different printed elements.
variorum. edition with notes. Also called [annotated] edition.
vellucent binding. binding covered with a thin, transparent sheet of [vellum], to protect the underlying material. Invented about 1903 and most often used to cover and protect highly decorative, highly expensive books.
vellum. 1. thin, parchment-like sheet of specially prepared calfskin, used for bookbinding. Vellum, like [parchment], is animal hide, but it is not tanned, and is therefore technically not leather. 2. soft, smooth paper, made in imitation of vellum. See also [Japan vellum], [Louvain vellum].
Velo-Bind (brand name). type of binding, commonly used for business and technical reports rather than published books, consisting of two narrow plastic strips, one on the front cover and one on the rear, aligned with the bound edge, connected to each other through the paper with thin plastic rivets.
Velvahyde (brand name). a type of [bonded leather].
Verlag. the German term for publisher.
vermined. damaged by rodents or other pests. Occasionally called [biopredation].
verso. rear side of a leaf in a bound book; in other words, the left-hand page of an opened book. Normally, versos are numbered with even numbers. Also called [reverse]. The opposite page is the [recto] or obverse.
vertical lettering. a form of typesetting design in which letters are laid out one at a time in a column reading from top to bottom; in other words, the letters are in a stack with one letter stacked on top of the next. Sometimes seen on the spine of a book or occasionally on the front of a yearbook.
VF. very fine. occasionally-used grade above [Fine] but below [As New]. See [condition terms].
VG. very good. shows some small signs of wear, but no tears, on either binding or paper, unless noted. See [condition terms].
VG+. very good plus. occasionally-used grade above [Very Good] but below [Near Fine]; shows some, but
very little, signs of wear. See [condition terms].
vicesimo-quarto. 24mo. See [size terms].
View-Master (brand name). 1. a series of small color transparent [stereograph] images printed on a circular card, called a reel, with seven stereo views per reel. Invented in 1939, popular through the 1970s as entertainment for children and adults, by the 1990s marketed as a preschool toy; early reels are now [collectible]. 2. the mechanism used to view View-Master reels.
vignette / vig. 1. an [illustration] with a trimmed or uneven shape, the border of the picture seemingly trimmed around the edges of the subject. 2. general term for any piece of short, descriptive writing.
Vinabind (brand name). [paperback] book that has been [rebound] as a [hardcover] for library use. The generic term is [prebind].
vinyl. plastic or resin-coated material made to imitate leather, sometimes used for bookbinding. Compare [Fabrikoid], [leatherette].
visiting card. a type of [ephemera], normally about the size of a business card or slightly larger, with text similar to a business card, usually given to the host during a social visit. The standard size was (10.6 x 6.4 cm) 4 1/8" x 2 1/2". Common in the 1800s and early 1900s, some visiting cards, particularly [CDVs], are [collectible]. Compare [cabinet card].
vo. part of 8vo, meaning octavo. See [size terms].
vol. volume.
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N ~ O ~ P ~ Q ~ R ~ S ~ T ~ U ~ V ~ W ~ XYZ
This glossary was written and compiled by Gwen Foss of Alan's Used Books with thanks to the many independent bookdealers of TomFolio.com.