Good – A description of condition implying some degree of wear but structural soundness and reasonably good appearance. A book described as good will not usually appeal to the fastidious collector unless the book is extremely rare, but books in good condition may prove a bargain for the general collector or when fine copies are priced out of budget.

Browning – An overall discoloration found in the paper of some old books, sometimes due to the decomposition of the paper coating. Limited Edition – An edition issued in a stated, usually small, number of copies; the lower the number, the more valuable the copy.

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Prelims (preliminaries) – Any material that precedes the main text of the book. Prelims are usually set and printed after the main text; they are numbered with lower-case Roman numerals (rather than Arabic numerals) so that any late changes to the content or extent of the prelims do not affect the pagination of the text.

Ephemera – An item that was usually created for reading and then subsequent disposal. Examples include letters, advertisements, magazines and newspapers. Mounted – An illustration can be mounted (as opposed to printed directly) on a blank sheet in a book.Colophon – A printed statement at the end of the book stating usually the title of the book, the publisher and or printer, and the place and date of publication.