Binding

Use for
Full,
Three Quarter,
Half,
Quarter,
or Leatherette

Leather Bound- Full- A book which is covered entirely in leather. Three Quarter- A book having the spine and part of the sides, as well as enlarged corners, covered with leather, and the remainder of the sides covered with cloth or paper. Half- A style of binding in which the spine and part of the side of the book, as well as the four corners, are covered with leather and the sides with another material, e.g., cloth or paper. In this style of binding the spine covering usually extends onto the boards about one-fourth of their width, with the corners in harmonious proportion. Quarter- A binding having the spine and a small part of the sides (about one-eighth the width of the boards) covered with leather, with the rest of the boards covered with another material. Leatherette is a book bound in other material designed to resemble leather and should always be noted as such.
Vellum  A fine parchment made from specially prepared calfskin, lambskin, or kidskin and used for the pages and binding of books.
Fine Binding is for books with; Exotic binding materials such as silk, Decorative Stamped Bindings, Gauffered Edges, Beveled Boards, as well as books with Facsimile Bindings, Slip-Cased books, Handmade or BookArts bindings, or other distinctive craftsmanship.
A Hard Cover has cloth or paper covered stiff boards.  Includes Decorative Cloth, which has an illustration, design, or special lettering on the covers or spine.   Library/Reinforced Bindings should be classified as Library Binding (see next).
Library Bindings, sometimes called Reinforced Bindings, are books which have strengthened bindings and are usually intended for use in a library.  The Reinforced Binding field value should be used for any book identified by the publisher as reinforced (usually given a different ISBN than the trade edition) or for any rebound book that has the distinct characteristics of a reinforced binding, including any book with a buckram* cover.
Note: Not to be confused with Ex-Library, which is not a binding but an altered condition where identification numbers, card pockets, etc are added to the book after it is bound and published. 

 

Softcover/Wraps is for any book Perfect bound or Saddle Stitch bound in flexible paper covers except Mass Market paperbacks (see below). Perfect Bound (The page edges are glued together, then placed in the covers and cut flush) or Saddle stitched book or booklet (A book, periodical or pamphlet secured through the center fold by means of wire staples).  Use this value for any Trade Paperback- A book generally larger in size and made of better quality materials than a Mass Market with a paper cover that is cut and gathered into signatures and secured by a hot-melt adhesive, leaving wider margins.
Printer's Wraps: The printed or unprinted cover of a pamphlet, paperbound book, or periodical, usually of a heavier weight than the text paper. Typically used for older books or periodicals, not for modern paperbacks.
Mass Market paperback: A flat spine book usually about four inches wide and seven inches high (rack-sized). Mass market paperback books are often made up of single leaves secured by a hot-melt adhesive and cut flush.  Mass Market paperbacks are a distinct retail category in the new book industry with their own merchandising, distribution, discount, and return policies (the front cover is "stripped" off the book and returned for credit and the coverless book is destroyed).
Use the Novelty/Other value for any binding not covered by any of the above.  This would include Spiral, Ring Bound, Comb Binding, Novelty, Die-cut, Pop-up, or any unconventional binding.
Use Unbound/Manuscript for any unbound sheets or Text Blocks** that were never bound into covers, or for Disbound books which have been completely removed from their bindings. Any missing pages or page defects should be noted in the description.
Use the Non-book value for non-bound items such as Accessories, Audio Books, Postcards, Posters, Prints, Videos, etc.
Undeclared is the default value for this field. Items with this value generally indicate a book that was bulk uploaded, but the seller didn't want to take the time to edit their records to take advantage of our identifier fields which aid buyers who are browsing or searching for particular kinds of items.  Buyers have the option to include or exclude the Undeclared value from their search or browse results.

*Buckram - A heavy binding cloth made from closely woven cotton or linen and impregnated with pyroxylin or starch.

**Text Block: Pages containing the content of a book (text, illustrations, etc.) bound together; does not include endpapers.

Note: For more information on the standard terms used in the book industry, we recommend the comprehensive  IOBA (Independent Online Booksellers Association ) Book Terminology Glossary.

Help us build a comprehensive Help system.  If this Help page did not answer your question, to send your question to the administrator.