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Book Description Abbreviations

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T U V W
What is a First Edition ?

Condition can be in the eye of the beholder to some extent, but the following terms are often employed on a relative quality scale from best to worst:

M Mint, F/NF Fine/Near Fine, VG Very Good, G Good, Fr Fair, P Poor, Reading Copy Only

Other terms and abbreviations include:

A AEG All edges gilt

B BCE Book Club Ed

BD Bound

Bdg Binding

Bds Boards

BOMC Book of the Month Club

C Cf Calf

Cl Cloth

Cont Contemporary

Cr 8vo Crown Octavo

D DJ Dust Jacket

DW dust wrapper

E Ed Edition/editor

Endp Endpaper

Ep/s Endpaper/s

Engr Engraving

Ex-lib Ex-library

F Facs Facsimile

Fcp Foolscap

ffep front free ep

Fp Frontispiece

G Gt Gilt

H HB Hardback

HC Hardcover

Hf Half

I Imp Imperial

Impr Impression

Impft Imperfect

Inscr Inscribed

L Lge Large

M Mco Morocco

Mor Morocco

MS Manuscript

N Nd No date

O Ob Oblong

Oct Octavo

OP Out of print

Or Original

P P,pp Pages(s)

PB/pbk Paperback

Pl(s) Plates

PO Previous owner

PON Prev. owner name

Port Portrait

Pseud Pseudonym

Pt Part

Ptd Printed

Pub Published

Q Qto Quarto

R Rev Signed

S SC Softcover (pbk)

Sm Small

T TEG Top edge gilt

Thk Thick

TL Typed letter

TP Title page

U Unb Unbound

V Vol Volume

W WAF With all faults

Wraps Wrappers i.e paperback


"First edition" refers to the first impression of the first edition in the country of origin of the dealer eg. a book may have been published first in the UK but a US dealer will refer to their own country's first and the other as "first UK ed." The term "trade" (ed./pbk) usually refers to a book intended for conventional sale through bookshops rather than via mail order or book club or some other specially printed edition.

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