Antiquarian & Collectible Book Terms Dictionary - H

A glossary of words with definitions starting with the letter H related to collectible, rare and antiquarian books.

If you find this guide helpful, please vote yes at the bottom of this page. If you have a suggestion on how we can improve this guide or need a word added and defined please contact us through the eBay system by clicking our feedback score above or clicking here.

Need to find another word? Click any of the letters below to go to the appropriate letter.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Half Binding - A book in which the spine and corners are bound in a different material (frequently leather) than the rest of the covers.

Half Cloth - A book that with cloth covered spine and paper covered boards.

Half Leather - A term indicating that the spine and the corners of a book are bound in leather, while the rest of the binding may be cloth or paper. Also see Quarter Leather.

Half Title - a page which precedes the the title page and the text, with the title (often abbreviated) usually centered on the page.

Hardbound - Bound in cloth, cardboard, or leather rather than paper. See also hardcover.

Hardcover - A book with stiff boards that is bound and covered in either cloth, paper, or leather.

HB or hb - Hardbound

HC or hc - hardcover

Head - The upper margin of a leaf, cover or endpaper. Also referred to as the top.

Headband - A functional or ornamental band, made of colored silk or cotton, which is fastened at the top (and sometimes at the bottom) of the spine of a book. Originally it was sewn into the boards or leaves of the book to link the sections together but in today's binding process, it is often glued-on for decoration. The headbands of the 12th and early 13th centuries were combined with a leather tab. The conventional cloth or silk headband was introduced in the early 16th century and decorative glued-on headbands were introduced in the early 19th century. Also known as heads.

Headpiece - A decorative type ornament found at the start of a chapter or division of a book.

Heads - A functional or ornamental band, made of colored silk or cotton, which is fastened at the top (and sometimes at the bottom) of the spine of a book. Originally it was sewn into the boards or leaves of the book to link the sections together but in today's binding process, it is often glued-on for decoration. The headbands of the 12th and early 13th centuries were combined with a leather tab. The conventional cloth or silk headband was introduced in the early 16th century and decorative glued-on headbands were introduced in the early 19th century. Also known as headbands.

HF or hf. - Half, as in half sheets.

High spot - A term that is used to denote a highly regarded first or important edition of a book.

Highlighting - The use of transparent and brightly colored markers to draw attention to particular text. Frequently done by students. Also known as underlining and Marginalia.

Hinge - An inside or outside joint of the binding of a book, where the spine meets the covers. It is usually made of cloth and provides additional strength at the flex point. See book anatomy section for illustration.

Hist - History

Hndbk - handbook

HNG or hng - hinge

Holograph - A document or inscription written entirely in the handwriting of the author.


Hors Texte, versos blank - "Hors texte" is French for "outside of the text," and the term usually refers to plates, without printing on the reverse sides. The plates may be tipped in to paper of a different stock from that of the text.

Hypermodern - Collected first editions published within last ten years or so. Most were published so recently that there is no track record on author or book.

To see the current eBay listings of collectible books and coins from Extraordinary Things LLC click here.