List of booksellers' abbreviations

This is a list of abbreviations commonly used by booksellers .

• ABA: Antiquarian Booksellers' Association ^[1]
• ABAA: Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America ^[1]
• A.e.g.: All edges gilt. ^{[1] [2]}
• A.e.s.: All edges stained. ^[2]
• A.L.s.: Autograph letter, signed. ^[1]
• ARC: Advance reading copy. ^[2]
• BCE: Book Club edition. ^[2]
• Bd.: Bound. ^[1]
• Bdg.: Binding. ^{[1] [2]}
• Bds.: Boards. ^[1]
• B.e.p.: Back endpaper.
• B.f.e.p.: Back free endpaper.
• B.L.: Blackletter. ^[1]
• BOMC: Book-of-the-Month Club.
• c. or ca.: Circa; around/about (referring to date) ^{[1] [3]}
• C. & p.: Collated and perfect. ^[1]
• Cf.: Calf. ^[1]
• Cl.: Cloth. ^[1]
• CR or CPR or ©: Copyright
• CWO: Check or cash with order.
• Dec.: Decorated. ^[1]
• D.j.: Dust jacket. ^[1]
• D.S.: Document signed. ^[3]
• DW: Dustwrapper (same as dust jacket, or book jacket) ^[1]
• Ed.: Edition or editor. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Endp. or e.p.: Endpaper. ^{[1] [2]}
• Eng. or engr.: Engraved(ing). ^[1]
• Ex-lib: Ex-Library copy, a book once held in library. ^{[1] [2]} Not to be confused with Ex Libris.
• Ex Libris: From the library of, referring to previous owner—often found on bookplates. ^[2]
• F: Fine condition.
• Facs.: Facsimile. ^[1]
• F.e.p.: Front endpaper. ^[2]
• F.f.e.p.: Front free endpaper. ^[2]
• FL: Flyleaf
• Frontis. or front. or fp.: Frontispiece. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• G: Good condition.
• G. or gt.: Gilt. ^[1]
• G.e.: Gilt edges. ^[1]
• HC/HCV: Hardcover.
• Hf. bd.: Half bound. ^[1]
• Illus. or ills. or ill.: Illustrated. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• IOBA: Independent Online Booksellers Association
• Litho: Lithograph. ^[3]
• Ltd. Ed.: Limited Edition. ^[2]
• M.e.: Marbled edges. ^[1]
• Mco., mor.: Morocco leather. ^[1]
• MS(S). Manuscript(s). ^{[1] [3]}
• N.d.: No date. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• NF: Near Fine condition.
• N.p.: No place, publisher, or printer. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• N.p.c.: not price clipped (of the jacket).
• NYR or NYP: Not Yet Released or Not Yet Published
• OSI: Out of Stock Indefinitely
• O.p.: Out-of-Print. ^{[1] [3]}
• P.b. or p.p.b.: Paperback. ^[2]
• P.c.: price clipped (of the jacket). ^[2]
• Pl(s).: Plate(s). ^[1]
• P.P.: Privately printed. ^{[1] [3]}
• pp: Pages; p (and then the number) for page; pp for plural pages. ^[3]
• PPD: Postpaid.
• Pr.: Printing.
• Pseud.: Pseudonym. ^[1]
• Pub(d).: Publisher/published. ^[1]
• REP: Rear endpaper. ^[2]
• RFEP: Rear free endpaper. ^[2]
• RET: Returnable
• SLC or SC: Slipcase
• SGD: Signed
• T.e.g.: Top edge gilt. ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• T.L.s.: Typed letter, signed. ^[1]
• T.p.: Title-page. ^{[1] [2]}
• TS.: Typescript. ^[1]
• Vol. or vols.: Volume/volumes. ^{[1] [2]}
• VG: Very Good condition.
• W.a.f.: With all faults. ^{[1] [3]}

See also

• Book size
• List of used book conditions

References

1. Carter, John (1991). ABC for Book-Collectors (5th, Revised ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 13–16. ISBN   0394414039.
2. "Glossary of book terms". AbeBooks. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
3. Prytherch, Ray, ed. (2005). Harrod's Librarian's Glossary and Reference Book (PDF) (10th ed.). Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN   978-1-4094-0124-7.