Abbreviations
The prevalence of these in booksellers’ catalogues varies with the descriptive formula. An elaborate catalogue will have few, but most cataloguers use the familiar ones, and in short-title or clearance lists there may be a good many – sometimes explained at the beginning, more often not.Even the abbreviations in common use are not all wholly standardised,nor does the following list pretend to be exhaustive. Most of its contents appear, under the expanded term, in the main alphabet: to those which do not,page references have been appended where appropriate.
ABPC American Book Prices Current.
A.D. Autograph document.
A.D.s. Autograph document, signed.
Ads., advts.,
adverts. Advertisements.
A.e.g. All edges gilt.
A.L. Autograph letter, not signed.
A.L.s. Autograph letter, signed.
A.Ms.s. Autograph manuscript, signed.
A.N.s. Autograph note (shorter than a letter), signed.
BAL See blanck.
BAR Book Auction Records.
Bd. Bound.
Bdg. Binding.
Bds. Boards.
BL British Library.
B.L., b.l. Black letter.
BM British Museum.
BMC British Museum Catalogue of Books Printed in the
Fifteenth Century.
BN(F) Bibliothèque nationale de France.
BPC Book-Prices Current (p. 48).
C., ca. Circa (about, approximately).
C. & p. Collated and perfect.
Cat. Catalogue.
CBEL Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature.
Cent. Century.
Cf. Calf.
Cl. Cloth.
Col(d). Colour(ed).
Cont. Contemporary.
Cr. 8vo. Crown octavo (p. 110).
Dec. Decorated.
Doc. Document.
D-j., d-w. Dust-jacket, dust-wrapper.
DAB Dictionary of American Biography.
DNB Dictionary of National Biography.
E.f. extremely fine.
Ed. Edition, editor, edited.
E.D.L. Edition de luxe.
Endp., e.p. Endpaper(s).
Eng., engr. Engraved, engraving(s).
ESTC Eighteenth-century [once, but now] English Short-
Title Catalogue (p. 202).
Ex-lib. Ex-library.
f. fine.
Facs. Facsimile.
Fcp. Foolscap (p. 110).
F., ff. Folio, folios (i.e. leaves).
Fo., fol. Folio, a size of book.
Fp., frontis. Frontispiece.
g. good.
G., gt. Gilt.
G.e. Gilt edges (p. 87).
GKW, GW Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke.
G.L. Gothic letter.
G.t. Gilt tops (p. 87).
Hf. Half (e.g. hf. cf. half calf ).
Hf. bd. Half bound.
IGI Indice Generale degli Incunaboli.
ILAB International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.
Ill., ills. Illustrated, illustrations.
Imp. Imperial.
Impft. Imperfect.
Index Index Librorum Prohibitorum (p. 130).
Inscr. Inscribed, inscription.
Introd. Introduction.
ISTC Incunable Short-title Catalogue (pp. 135, 202).
Ital. Italic letter.
Lev. Levant morocco.
Lge. Large.
Ll. Leaves.
L(o)C Library of Congress.
L.P. Large paper.
L.s. Letter (not autograph), signed (p. 34).
m. mint.
Mco., mor. Morocco.
M.e. Marbled edges (p. 87).
MS(S). Manuscript(s).
NCBEL New Cambridge Bibliography of English
Literature.
N.d. No date.
N.f. Near fine.
N.p. No place, publisher, printer.
NUC National Union Catalog (p. 155).
N.y. No year.
Ob., obl. Oblong.
OCLC Online Computer Library Center.
Oct. Octavo.
O.p. Out of print.
Or., orig. Original.
p. poor (this is very rare).
P., pp. Page(s).
Pict. Pictorial.
Pl(s). Plate(s).
PMM Printing and the Mind of Man.
Pol. Polished.
Port. Portrait.
P.P. Privately printed.
Prelims. Preliminary leaves.
Pres. Presentation.
PRO Public Record Office.
Pseud. Pseudonym(ous).
Pt. Part.
Ptd. Printed.
Pub(d). Publish(ed).
Q. Quotation (p. 34).
Qto. Quarto.
R.e. Red edges (p. 87).
Rev. Revised.
RLIN Research Libraries Information Network.
Rom. Roman letter.
S.a. Sine anno, undated (p. 154).
Sgd. Signed.
Sig. Signature.
S.l. Sine loco, no place of publication (p. 154).
Sm. Small
S.n. Sine nomine, without name of printer or
publisher (p. 154).
SOED Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.
Spr. Sprinkled.
Sq. Square (in shape).
STC Short-Title Catalogue (p. 202).
Swd. Sewed.
T.e.g. Top edges gilt (p. 87).
Thk. Thick
T.L.s Typed letter, signed.
TLS Times Literary Supplement.
T.p. Title-page.
TS. Typescript.
Unb.,unbd. Unbound.
v.d., v.y. Various dates, years,
v.f. Very fine (copy).
v.g. Very good (copy).
Vol(s). Volume(s).
W.a.f. With all faults.
Wing Wing’s Short-Title Catalogue of English Books,
1641–1700 (p. 231).
Wr., wraps. Wrapper(s).
Y.e. Yellow edges (p. 87).
Abbreviations for SIZES OF BOOKS (see format)
Fo., Fol., 2º Folio.
Qto.,. 4to, 4º Quarto.
Oct., 8vo, 8º Octavo.
12mo, 12º Duodecimo (twelvemo).
16mo, 16º Sextodecimo (sixteenmo).
24mo, 24º Twentyfourmo.
32mo, 32º Thirtytwomo.
64mo, 64º Sixtyfourmo.
Carter, John & Nicolas Barker
ABC’s of Book Collecting. 8th Edition
New Castle, Delaware : Oak Knoll Press, 2004