Obverse: The right-hand page of
Leaf in a book. Also called the
Recto.
Octavo (8vo): A book size designating a book up to 9-3/4" tall. Abbreviation 8vo.
See Book Sizes and Formats Figure 2.
Open Tear: A tear in which the two sides
are irregular, ragged, chipped, or otherwise uneven due to missing paper.
See Closed Tear.
Opened: Generally only noteworthy when all or some of the
Leaves are
Unopened, the term means that some
or all of the leaves in a book formed by folding a single printed sheets into a
Gathering have been cut open allowing
each leaf to be turned apart from the others in the same gathering.
Out-of-Print: A book which is currently not being printed.
This might seem to cover the situation adequately, but there are several cautionary matters worth
noting about the implications of this status regarding a book's availability and scarcity. The expression
has a somewhat formal meaning within the book publishing, distributing and sales industry. A publisher
is expected (but not required) to place a written notice in Publisher's Weekly declaring that the
publisher has ceased offering the book for sale and has no current plans to do additional printing runs.
This declaration does not necessarily mean that the publisher has no copies of the book in stock since
notice is generally given before the publisher's stock has been depleted.
Sometimes, however, the remaining copies have been purchased by the author and are
now available only from that source, or these copies have been
Remaindered to a distributor at a
highly discounted price. Remaindering is a sure sign that copies of the book are easily available
and probably will be for some time. A publisher's lack of copies does not mean they are not still
available (even in abundance) from distributors and retailers who have not exhausted their previously
acquired stock. So to, the declaration that the publisher has no current plans to do additional
printings does not necessarily preclude the publisher from issuing an updated, expanded, or otherwise
revised edition at a later date. Finally, if the rights to a discontinued book have reverted to the
author, the author may find another publisher or self-publisher the book in the same or a new edition.
These last two points are important because many Out-of-Print, non-fiction books which have
lost their desirability and value due to the issuance of revised.
Out-of-Series: Extra copies of a true
Limited Edition printed only to
replace defective or lost copies prior to release. These copies will lack a written or stamped number
indicating their place in the series in the blank spaces provided in the book for that information,
and will probably not signed by the author and/or illustrator. These are not counted among the number of
copies to which the edition is limited, nor do collectors value them as more than understudies of
the limit edition.
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