Glossary of Book and Ephemera Terms and Abbreviations
~ Back to Main Page ~
~~~ G ~~~
G. [Good]. Quite worn but has all its pages unless otherwise noted; the condition of the average used
book.
G&D. Grosset & Dunlap, a major publisher, mainly of children's books, and a prolific [reprint] publisher.
galleys / galley proofs / loose galleys. long sheets of paper bearing the first trial printing of the type. These are
not generally offered for sale but occasionally turn up for sale by used bookdealers. See also [bound galleys],
[page proof], [unedited galley].
gate-fold. a double [fold-out].
gather / gathering. a group of sheets folded together for sewing or gluing into the [binding]. Usually called a
[signature].
gauffered / goffered. decorated with pleats or crimps in the material.
gauffered edges. refers to the thin outer edges of the [boards] when decorated with [gilt] [tooling]. Generally
found only in [fine bindings]. Compare [dentelle] (sense 3).
GE / ge. [gilt] edges.
ghost. stain or mark left from a removed sticker or piece of adhesive tape. Often seen on the backs of
[postcards] and other [ephemera]. If some material from the sticker is present, the flaw is usually described
as [residue].
giant print. another name for [large print].
Gibraltar binding. another term for [library binding].
gilt. gold leaf. Gilt is often applied to the [edges] of pages, and in former times was frequently used for the
lettering and decoration [stamped] on the covers of [hardbound] books. Different from gold-colored paint,
gilt usually contains a small amount of real gold and has a recognizable gold-metal sheen.
gilt edges. refers to page edges that have been trimmed smooth and [gilt] or gold has been applied. Some
common abbreviations involving gilt edges are AEG: [all edges gilt]. GE: [gilt edges]. GT: [gilt top]. TEG:
[top edge gilt].
glassine. thin, sturdy, [glazed], nearly transparent paper, often unprinted and used as a simple [dust jacket].
Compare [acetate]. Glassine is usually clear or light brown in color and gives off a crinkly sound when
handled. When glassine is used to protect or enclose a single page in a book, the page is said to be
[floated].
glazed / glazing. covered with a thin layer of glassy or pale opaque material bonded to the surface. Glazing
tends to discolor and grow brittle with age. Compare [coated], [laminated].
glossy. having a smooth, shiny, polished surface. Glossy paper, which was originally paper coated with clay,
was invented in the early 1800s and became common by the late 1800s. In books, such papers were often
reserved for [illustrations] or [halftone] photos because they printed well on glossy paper, but the paper also
tended to peel and become [foxed]. Today, better methods of manufacturing have led to routine use of
glossy paper in quality publications such as art books and for photo pages in biographies. Some books and
[periodicals] are printed entirely on glossy paper. The opposite of a glossy finish is a [matte] finish. Compare
[laminated], [slick].
glue ghost. see [ghost].
gnawed. [chewed].
goffered. see [gauffered].
golden age. refers to [comic books] from the 1930s to 1950s, now highly collectible.
good / G. see [condition terms].
gouged. having a nick or dent with some loss of the damaged surface.
GPO. Government Printing Office. Government publishing house of the US.
graphic novel. lengthy work of [fiction] illustrated in the style of a [comic book].
grazing. heavy [rubbing] in which part of the surface has been worn away.
GT / gt. [gilt] top.
guillotined. smooth cut, referring to [edges] of paper.
gutter. 1. blank space between columns of type. 2. blank space between the text and the [bound] edge of a
book, also called inner margin. 3. notch or groove along the outer [joint] of a [hardcover].
gutter code. code printed on the inside edge of a page, often on the last page of text, indicating the edition or
printing. (Only used by a small percentage of publishers; for example, Little Golden Books indicate printing
by a letter on the last page; an A is a first edition.)
A ~ B ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J ~ K ~ L ~ M
N ~ O ~ P ~ Q ~ R ~ S ~ T ~ U ~ V ~ W ~ XYZ
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.