The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to books:
Gutenberg Bible, Lenox Copy, New York Public Library, 2009
Book – set of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of ink, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side.
What type of thing is a book?
Sachsenspiegel
A book is a medium for a collection of words and/or pictures to represent knowledge, often manifested in bound paper and ink, or in electronic format such as e-books.
Books can be described as all of the following:
Type of publication
Format of literature
Types of books
Physical types of books not to be confused with literary genres or types of literature.
Advance copy – a free promotional copy of a book given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, or others, or as a contest or school prize, before the book is printed for mass distribution.
Alphabet book – a book primarily designed for young children representing letters of the alphabet with corresponding words and/or images.
Personal Diary – a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period
Scrapbook – a method, an art for preserving, presenting, arranging personal and family history in the form of a book
Travelogue or Travel Journal – is a record made by a traveller, sometimes in diary form, of the traveler's experiences, written during the course of the journey and later edited for publication
E-book or Electronic Book – a book made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both readable on electronic devices
Exhibition catalogue – a book which is either a printed list of exhibits at an art exhibition or a directory of exhibitors at a trade fair or business-to-business event
Festival book – a book that commemorate a notable event such as a royal entry, coronation or wedding
Festschrift – a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime
Flip book – a book with a series of pictures that vary gradually from one page to the next, so that when the pages are turned rapidly, the pictures appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change
Hardcover – a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occasionally leather) with a sewn spine.
Miscellany – a collection of various pieces of writing by different authors
Monograph – a book on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, usually by a single author
Networked book or Open book – a book that is written, edited, and read in a networked environment (such as Wikipedia)
Novelization – a book that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, comic strip or video game
Online book – a book that is only available to be read on the Internet
Orihon – long rolls consisting of sheets of paper pasted together began to be folded alternately one way and the other to produce an effect like a concertina
Personalized book – a book that has been customized for someone, containing personalized text, customized illustrations, or variables, based on the characteristics of that person
Photobook – a book consisting mainly of photographs
Picture book – a book that combines visual and written text and often aimed at children
Pop-up book or Movable book – a three-dimensional book
Punch out book – a book printed on stiff card or cardboard usually comprising several pages of perforated, colorfully printed figures or shapes
Catalogue raisonné – annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media
Encyclopedia – a type of reference work or compendium holding a comprehensive summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge
Herbal – a book containing the names and descriptions of plants
Ink – a type of pigment used to write letters upon the pages of a book
Paper – a material that easily absorbs ink, made from ground plant cellulose.
Parchment – a heavier alternative to paper, often made of reeds, cotton, or animal hide.
Book cover – protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book.
Dust jacket – detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers.
Contents of a book
Copyright page of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1899
Subject matter
Literature (outline) – prose, written oral, including fiction and non-fiction, drama and poetry.
non-fiction – type of content whose creator (in good faith) assumes responsibility for the truth or accuracy of events, people, or information presented
Frontispiece – a decorative illustration on the verso facing the title page
Title page – repeats the title and author as printed on the cover or spine.
Copyright page: – typically verso of title page: shows copyright owner/date, credits, edition/printing, cataloguing details
Table of contents – a list of the chapter headings and nested sub-headings with their respective page numbers
List of figures – often included in technical books, a list of drawings or depictions in the book
List of tables – often included in technical books, a list of data in rows and columns, or possibly in more complex structure.
Dedication – an inscription which is the expression of friendly connection or thanks by the author towards another person.
Acknowledgments – a place in the book where the author gives expression of gratitude for assistance in creating an original work. This may also be placed in Back Matter.
Foreword – a short piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book and typically written by someone other than the primary author.
Preface – a short introduction to a book written by the work's author. The preface usually describes how the book came into being and may contain thanks or acknowledgments.
Introduction – the beginning section that states the purpose and the goals of the book
Body – the main text or contents of the book, the pages often collected or folded into signatures; the pages are usually numbered sequentially, and often divided into chapters. Chapters may also have titles, and in a few cases an epigraph or prefatory quotation.
Back matter – also known as end matter is the final section of the book it can contain a number of items
Epilogue – a piece of writing at the end of the a book which brings closure to the work.
Afterword – a piece of writing covering the story of how the book came into being
Appendix – supplemental addition to the given work that details information found in the body
Glossary – a set of definitions of words important to the work.
Index – a list of terms and references used in the text often with page numbers to where the terms can be found in the work.
Notes – a list of author comments or citations of a reference work, these may also be found within the main text at the bottom of a page.
Bibliography – a list of the works consulted when writing the body
Colophon – a brief description with production notes relevant to the edition and may include a printer's mark or logotype.
Flyleaf – The blank leaf or leaves (if any) preceding the back free endpaper.
Rear endpaper – the endpapers of a book are pages that consist of a double-size sheet folded, the rear end or backend paper the first of which is a flyleaf.
Back cover – the back cover of a book which usually contains biographical matter, a summary of the book as well as the ISBN and publisher's price for the book.
Study of books
Carl Spitzweg 021
Bibliography – the academic study of books as physical and cultural objects.
Enumerative bibliography – the organized listing of books
Descriptive bibliography – description of books as physical objects
Analytical bibliography – examination of the physical features of book as artifact
Library science – field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education and other areas to libraries.
Library of Congress Classification (LCC) – library classification system developed by the Library of Congress and used by most research and academic libraries in the United States.
Woodblock printing (pre- 220 AD) – technique for printing text, images or patterns originating in China in antiquity.
Movable type (1040) – the system and technology of printing and typography using moveable components to reproduce elements of a document.
Printing press (1454) – a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting on a print medium such as paper or cloth, and thereby transferring ink.
Etching (ca. 1500) – a method of printmaking using acid or mordant to cut into a metal surface to create a design in the metal.
Mezzotint (1642) – the system and technology of printing and typography using moveable components to reproduce elements of a document.
Rotary press (1843) – a printing press in which images to be printed are curved around a cylinder.
Offset printing (1875) – a printing technique in which inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface.
Hectograph (19th century) – a printing process that involves transfer of an original to a pan of gelatin or gelatin pad pulled over a metal frame.
Hot metal typesetting (1886) –a typesetting method where molten-type metal is injected into a mold and the resulting slugs are used to press ink onto paper.
Screen printing (1907) – a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate.
Digital press (1993) – method of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media.
Book production
Buchdrucker, 1568
Publishing – the dissemination of literature and making information available to the general public.
Writing – a medium of human communication representing language and emotion.
Author – the creator or originator of written work.
Editing – the process of selecting and preparing media used to convey information.
Graphic Design – process of visual communication and problem-solving through the use of typography, photography, and illustration.
Printing – process of reproducing text and images using a master form or template.
Bookbinding – process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of paper sheets and bound together.