The Dictionary of the Book

As Mark Twain observed, there is a world of difference between 'the almost right word and the right word.' In this enlarged edition, Professor Berger gives us the right word for every possible term related to books. Going far beyond Carter's ABC, he has produced a true Booktionary, defining thousands of terms related to the making, getting, keeping, trading, and loving of books. The whole history of books and printing, bookselling and collecting, librarianship, and much more is in this immensely useful resource. Berger's definitions, so wonderfully precise and clear, give us the confidence to speak intelligently about books--always using just the right word.

--Valerie Hotchkiss, Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries and Professor of English and Book Studies, Oberlin College & Conservatory

Berger offers a second edition of his 2016 work presenting a comprehensive glossary of the book. The first edition was a remarkable achievement, but this newest effort is nothing short of a tour de force. This latest edition contains over 700 new entries for a total of 2,000 terms, covering all areas of the book arts and book history: parts of a book; typography; calligraphy; genre terms; pricing; paper; printing; bookbinding; physical condition; preservation and conservation issues; a short biography of key people, presses, and publishers; legal issues; and more. The volume presents terms from A to Z and most helpfully supplies over 200 illustrations and photographs of selected words. Additional features include five appendixes containing further information, including an extensive bibliography with over 1,000 resources and definitions of terms whose meanings have shifted over time. Readers will likely appreciate Berger's impressive list of book clubs and societies around the world. This ambitious and entertaining update solidifies Berger's volume as a must-have title for librarians, booksellers, collectors, and students of the book arts and book history.

-- "Library Journal, Starred Review"

Each of the more than 2000 entries is comprehensively researched and exhaustively cited. There is also an extensive bibliography which will enable the reader to extend their research beyond the entries in this dictionary. It would also enable anyone with an interest to check that their own holdings on the history of the book are complete or guide those who wish to develop a collection in this area. It will be of interest to book collectors, booksellers, librarians, historians, and artists specialising in printmaking and handpress printing. The Dictionary of the Book is one I would like to add to my own collection[.]

-- "Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association"

Sid Berger has been a positive influence on the book collecting world for many decades. His expertise ranges from the micro (his paper collection for example) to the macro (the vast language of old and rare books in all its forms) and is painstaking, accurate, well presented, and up-to-date. The second edition greatly enlarges and improves the first and will be the standard to which all collectors, librarians, and booksellers should adhere.

--John Windle, Owner, John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller, and the William Blake Gallery

The second edition of The Dictionary of the Book stands as an indispensable cornerstone in the realm of bibliographic scholarship: the text is well informed and written with flair... The value of this edition lies in its meticulous coverage of bookmaking techniques and technologies. Berger leaves no stone unturned, presenting a comprehensive account of processes ranging from woodcut printing to digital typeset-ting. His lucid explanations and well-researched historical context provide readers with a vivid understanding of the evolution of book production. This is not merely a reference dictionary but a journey through time, tracing the transform-ation of the book as object from an artisanal craft to a prod-uct of industrial precision and back again... [This book is] an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the book at more than a superficial level and, equally important, it is a lot of fun to read.

-- "Parenthesis Magazine"

As Mark Twain observed, there is a world of difference between 'the almost right word and the right word.' In this enlarged edition, Professor Berger gives us the right word for every possible term related to books. Going far beyond Carter's ABC, he has produced a true Booktionary, defining thousands of terms related to the making, getting, keeping, trading, and loving of books. The whole history of books and printing, bookselling and collecting, librarianship, and much more is in this immensely useful resource. Berger's definitions, so wonderfully precise and clear, give us the confidence to speak intelligently about books--always using just the right word.

Berger offers a second edition of his 2016 work presenting a comprehensive glossary of the book. The first edition was a remarkable achievement, but this newest effort is nothing short of a tour de force. This latest edition contains over 700 new entries for a total of 2,000 terms, covering all areas of the book arts and book history: parts of a book; typography; calligraphy; genre terms; pricing; paper; printing; bookbinding; physical condition; preservation and conservation issues; a short biography of key people, presses, and publishers; legal issues; and more. The volume presents terms from A to Z and most helpfully supplies over 200 illustrations and photographs of selected words. Additional features include five appendixes containing further information, including an extensive bibliography with over 1,000 resources and definitions of terms whose meanings have shifted over time. Readers will likely appreciate Berger's impressive list of book clubs and societies around the world. This ambitious and entertaining update solidifies Berger's volume as a must-have title for librarians, booksellers, collectors, and students of the book arts and book history.

Each of the more than 2000 entries is comprehensively researched and exhaustively cited. There is also an extensive bibliography which will enable the reader to extend their research beyond the entries in this dictionary. It would also enable anyone with an interest to check that their own holdings on the history of the book are complete or guide those who wish to develop a collection in this area. It will be of interest to book collectors, booksellers, librarians, historians, and artists specialising in printmaking and handpress printing. The Dictionary of the Book is one I would like to add to my own collection[.]

Sid Berger has been a positive influence on the book collecting world for many decades. His expertise ranges from the micro (his paper collection for example) to the macro (the vast language of old and rare books in all its forms) and is painstaking, accurate, well presented, and up-to-date. The second edition greatly enlarges and improves the first and will be the standard to which all collectors, librarians, and booksellers should adhere.

The second edition of The Dictionary of the Book stands as an indispensable cornerstone in the realm of bibliographic scholarship: the text is well informed and written with flair... The value of this edition lies in its meticulous coverage of bookmaking techniques and technologies. Berger leaves no stone unturned, presenting a comprehensive account of processes ranging from woodcut printing to digital typeset-ting. His lucid explanations and well-researched historical context provide readers with a vivid understanding of the evolution of book production. This is not merely a reference dictionary but a journey through time, tracing the transform-ation of the book as object from an artisanal craft to a prod-uct of industrial precision and back again... [This book is] an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the book at more than a superficial level and, equally important, it is a lot of fun to read.