Antiquarian & Collectible Book Terms Dictionary - U

A glossary of words with definitions starting with the letter U 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

Unb or unbd - Unbound, refers to a book which has never been bound.

Unbound - Refers to a book which has never been bound. Until the 19th century, books were sold as unbound leaves that were bound to a buyer's specifications. This term might also refer to a book in an advanced state of publication, such as a galley.

Uncorrected proof - Traditionally, a printed trial-run of the work, bound or unbound, which is used for proofreading and to determine if changes need to be made in the text. The typical publishing process is proof, advance reading copy, and publication. However, bound proofs are also used for pre-publication publicity and are often sent out in place of advance reading copies to booksellers and reviewers. Also known as galley, galley proof, page proof, proof.

Uncut - Refers to the untrimmed pages of a book—the edges appear rough and uneven. In early bookbinding, the unbound pages of a book were left uncut until the binder trimmed them flush and smooth as part of the binding process. Today the terms uncut and unopened are often used synonymously. Also known as deckle edges.

Underlining - Using a pencil or pen to underline passages in a book to draw attention to the underlined text. Also known as Highlighting and Marginalia.

Unopened - The folded edges of the signatures have not been cut open for reading. The book has been left in the beginning stages of its binding process or it was issued in this manner.

Unpaginated - The pages are not numbered (although each signature may be designated by letter).

Unsophisticated - Pure, genuine, unrestored.If a book is so described, it can mean trouble as far as condition is concerned.

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