The first edition of this dictionary, compiled by F.J.M. Wijnekus and published in 1967, was the result of years of systematic collection and preparation of thousands of terms and expressions which were until then not to be found in any other dictionary. The material was correlated for use in his daily work and, as the reputation of his private collection spread, there was an increasing demand for access to these findings. Until 1967 there was no comprehensive multilingual dictionary on the subject; former publications were incomplete and out of date and lacked clear definition - often leading to disastrous misunderstandings. Furthermore, the subject of printing, paper and ink technology had never been dealt with, in dictionary form, in relation to other aspects of the graphic industry.This new work, prepared by F.J.M. Wijnekus and his son, has been considerably up-dated. Much time has been devoted to checking the material against the most reliable and authoritative sources. The usefulness of the work has been further enhanced by the addition of Spanish and Italian to the original languages of English, French and German.The first edition was received with much enthusiastic praise and this new dictionary will undoubtedly continue to be an invaluable tool for all those working with the printed word in the widest sense. It is a reference work which should be in the hands of all those in any way connected with the printing industry, paper manufacturers, ink manufacturers, printers, bookbinders, publishers, lithographers, lay-out men and graphical research institutes.

Named a Library Journal Best Reference of 2023 - From Library Journal's Starred Review: "This ambitious and entertaining update solidifies Berger’s volume as a must-have title for librarians, booksellers, collectors, and students of the book arts and book history." This new edition of The Dictionary of the Book adds more than 700 new entries and many new illustrations and brings the vocabulary and theory of bookselling and collecting into the modern commercial and academic world, which has been forced to adjust to a new reality. The definitive glossary of the book covers all the terms needed for a thorough understanding of how books are made, the materials they are made of, and how they are described in the bookselling, book collecting, and library worlds. Every key term—more than 2,000—that could be used in booksellers’ catalogs, library records, and collectors’ descriptions of their holdings is represented in this dictionary. This authoritative source covers all areas of book knowledge, including: The book as physical object Typeface terminology Paper terminology Printing Book collecting Cataloging Book design Bibliography as a discipline, bibliographies, and bibliographical description Physical Condition and how to describe it Calligraphy Language of manuscripts Writing implements Librarianship Legal issues Parts of a book Book condition terminology Pricing of books Buying and selling Auctions Items one will see an antiquarian book fairs Preservation and conservation issues, and the notion of restoration Key figures, presses / publishers, and libraries in the history of books Book collecting clubs and societies How to read and decipher new and old dealers’ catalogs And much more The Dictionary also contains an extensive bibliography—more than 1,000 key readings in the book world and it gives current (and past) definitions of terms whose meaning has shifted over the centuries. More than 200 images accompany the entries, making the work even more valuable for understanding the terms described.

This volume identifies well over 26,000 terms and now encompasses the field of higher education. Terms are gleaned from a wide variety of sources, including German and English specialized glossaries and professional books and articles.

"...skillfully compiled...should be useful to anyone interested in placing his or her studies in the context of printed and bound literature..." --ENGLISH LITERATURE IN TRANSITION 1880-1920