Antiquarian & Collectible Book Terms Dictionary - O

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

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OP or o.p. - Out-of-print.

OW or ow - Otherwise

Ob. or obl. - Oblong

Obverse - The right-hand page of a book, more commonly called the Recto.

Oct - Octavo Refers to the size of the book; the most common book size since the early 17th century, an octavo book averages about 6 x 9 inches. The term originally referred to the number of folds (8) in a standard book-printing sheet, but it now commonly refers to size.

Octavo - Refers to the size of the book; the most common book size since the early 17th century, an octavo book averages about 6 x 9 inches. The term originally referred to the number of folds, eight for Octavo, making 16 leaves, in a standard book-printing sheet, but it now commonly refers to size. Also known as 8vo.

OED - Oxford English Dictionary

Offprint - A separate printing of a section of a larger publication; i.e., a periodical.

Offset - The transfer of ink from one page to another, either as a printed page or an engraving.
OP or op - Out-of-print

Orig. - Original

Out of print - A publication that is no longer available through the publisher.

Out-of-Series - Refers to overruns or extra copies of limited editions.

Owner's Bookplate - A simple or elaborately designed label used to indicate ownership, which is usually found pasted to the inside of the front cover of a book. Bookplates were used as early as 1516, but did not become popular in England, France, and Germany until the 18th century. In America, they were not used before 1800 but have been fairly common since about 1840.

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