The anatomy of a book

Hi friend!

Welcome to issue 19 of Book Guild. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be taking a closer look at the physical book and its various components - a bit of an exploration of anatomy, as it were.

Anybody who buys and reads physical books knows that the experience is about more than just the content. Yes, of course the content is crucial to the ultimate enjoyment of the experience - but the romance starts when you see that intriguing cover peeping at you from across the room.

So, you walk over, pretending to browse ... but both of you know where you're heading. You gently pick up the charming little devil, and a shiver spreads over your arms: it's a hardcover with embossed lettering on a silken-soft dust jacket. You do the unthinkable and peek under the dust jacket, right there in the middle of the store, and gasp with delight - there's an alternate cover design, in gold lettering. Now you simply must rip it open and start reading...

[clears throat]

The point is, reading a book is as much a tactile experience as it is a mental one. Publishers do their best to balance a good tactile experience with reasonable costs (books have a notoriously low profit margin), and they do this by looking at each part of the physical book. So let's demystify some of the more obscure terms you might come across when engaging with a book. Pencils out ... and go!

Postscript: items marked with an asterisk will be discussed in a future edition.

External components

1. The cover

Our journey begins with what we see. The first component is the cover. This shouldn't be a new term but if it is, power on knowledge seeker! The cover is divided into three parts - front cover, back cover, and spine.

The front cover typically displays the book's title, author's name, and often an eye-catching illustration or design. For hardcover* books, it's usually made of sturdy cardboard covered with cloth, leather, or paper. Paperback* covers are usually made of thick paper or cardstock.

The back cover typically includes a brief synopsis called a blurb, author biography, reviews, or promotional text. It also usually features the book's ISBN* and barcode, and many publishers include some information about themselves here (like a website address, the genre of the book, and the RRP* of the book).

The spine is the vertical edge where the pages are bound together. This part of the cover usually displays the book's title, author's name, and publisher's logo, and if the book is part of a series some publishers show this here too.

2. The dust jacket

Firstly, how cute is this name?! Dust jacket! Just picture the little books talking about the latest fashion for their jackets... but I digress. You are here to learn!

The dust jacket is removable paper cover used primarily for hardcover books. It protects the book from wear and tear, and is often more elaborately designed than the actual cover.

3. Fore edge

The fore edge is the outer edge of the book's pages, opposite the spine. In some special editions, it may feature hidden artwork visible only when the pages are fanned. It can also sometimes be frayed, sprayed or designed - but this is an expensive thing so will only be done for books that the publisher knows will sell well.

4. Head and Tail

These terms refer to the top and bottom edges of the book. The head (top edge) may be colored or gilded in high-quality editions. The tail (bottom edge) is usually left plain.

Some books feature headbands and tailbands - decorative cloth bands visible at the top and bottom of the spine. Again, this is not a cheap exercise - you'll typically only see headbands and tailbands on big titles from international publishers. I've just checked my bookshelf to count - of the 13 Booker 2023 longlist titles only three have headbands (!).

Okay, that's it for today. Understanding these external components gives us a deeper appreciation for the craft of bookmaking. Each element serves a purpose, whether functional or aesthetic, contributing to the overall experience of the book as a physical object. Next time I'll talk about the internal components that make up a book's structure.

Happy reading, and enjoy these beautiful elements on beautiful books.

Yours, as always

Marius