The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to books.
Types of books Physical types of books not to be confused with literary genres or types of literature. Advance copy – a free promotional copy of a book given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, or others, or as a contest or school prize, before the book is printed for mass distribution. Alphabet book – a book primarily designed for young children representing letters of the alphabet with corresponding words and/or images. Alternative formats – another version of a standard printed book such as audio, braille, electronic or large print versions Audiobook – a recorded reading of a physical book Autograph book – a book for collecting the autographs of others Confession album – a type of autograph book with set of questions Banned book – a book or other printed works which are prohibited by law or to which free access is not permitted by other means Bestseller – a book that is included on a list of top-selling or frequently-borrowed titles Blook – a printed book that contains or is based on content from a blog Board book – a type of book printed on thick paperboard generally for children Book-and-record set – a set consisting of a picture storybook and an accompanying recording Book series – sequence of books that are formally identified together as a group Booklet – a small book or group of pages Chapbook – an early type of cheap popular literature printed in early modern Europe in booklet format Tract – booklets used for religious and political purposes Boxed Set – a compilation of books packaged in a box, for sale as a single unit Braille book – a book that is traditionally written with embossed paper for the blind or visually impaired Chapter book – a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 Codex – a bound book constructed of a number of sheets of paper, vellum, papyrus, or similar materials Coffee table book – an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table Coloring book – a book containing line art to which a reader may add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media Comic book – a book or magazine that consists of comic art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes Comedia suelta – an individual printing of a play Condolence book – a book in which people may record their condolences after a death or great tragedy. Cookbook – a collection of recipes Cordel literature – printed booklets or pamphlets containing folk novels, poems and songs. Diary and Journals – a private collection of thoughts or feelings, remembrances including comments on current events in book format Commonplace book – writing information into books to compile knowledge Dream diary – a diary for recording dreams Personal Diary – a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period Scrapbook – a method, an art for preserving, presenting, arranging personal and family history in the form of a book Travelogue or Travel Journal – is a record made by a traveller, sometimes in diary form, of the traveler's experiences, written during the course of the journey and later edited for publication Dummy book – an object designed to imitate the appearance of a real book, which may have blank pages or be entirely hollow E-book or Electronic Book – a book made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both readable on electronic devices Edited volume or collection – a collection of scholarly or scientific chapters written by different authors in book form Exhibition catalogue – a book which is either a printed list of exhibits at an art exhibition or a directory of exhibitors at a trade fair or business-to-business event Festival book – a book that commemorate a notable event such as a royal entry, coronation or wedding First Edition – a book from the first print run Festschrift – a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime Flip book – a book with a series of pictures that vary gradually from one page to the next, so that when the pages are turned rapidly, the pictures appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change Hardcover – a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occasionally leather) with a sewn spine. Illuminated manuscript – a book in which the text is supplemented with such decoration as initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations Incunable – an early printed book (before 1501) Instant book – a book that has been produced and published very quickly to meet market demand Interactive children's book – a subset of children's books that require participation and interaction by the reader Large-print book – a book with large text for the visually impaired Limited edition book – book that is released in a limited quantity print run Liturgical book – a book published by the authority of a church, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services. Magazine – a collection of written articles published on a schedule Mapback – an early form of a paperback with a printed map on the back cover Midlist – a book that is not a bestseller, but has strong enough sales to justify its publication Miniature book – a very small book Miscellany – a collection of various pieces of writing by different authors Monograph – a book on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, usually by a single author Networked book or Open book – a book that is written, edited, and read in a networked environment (such as Wikipedia) Novelization – a book that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, comic strip or video game Online book – a book that is only available to be read on the Internet Orihon – long rolls consisting of sheets of paper pasted together began to be folded alternately one way and the other to produce an effect like a concertina Out-of-print book – a book no longer being actively published Paperback – book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples Mass-market paperback – small, usually non-illustrated, inexpensive bookbinding format Trade paperback – a higher-quality paperback book Personalized book – a book that has been customized for someone, containing personalized text, customized illustrations, or variables, based on the characteristics of that person Photobook – a book consisting mainly of photographs Picture book – a book that combines visual and written text and often aimed at children Pop-up book or Movable book – a three-dimensional book Punch out book – a book printed on stiff card or cardboard usually comprising several pages of perforated, colorfully printed figures or shapes Reference Book Catalogue raisonné – annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media Encyclopedia – a type of reference work or compendium holding a comprehensive summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge Herbal – a book containing the names and descriptions of plants Remaindered book –a liquidated book Samut khoi – a folding-book manuscript Scroll – a precursor to the book which is a roll of papyrus, parchment or paper containing writing Song book or Chansonnier – a book containing lyrics and notes for songs Choirbook – a large format song book Table-book – printed book which is arranged so that all the parts of a piece of music can be read from it while seated around a table Sticker album – a book in which a person sticks collectable stickers in designated sections – Japanese term for a book that is a stand-alone story and not part of a series Textbook – manual of instruction in any branch of study Tie-in – a book based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property that serve as cross-promotion Used book – a previously owned book Volume (bibliography) – a single book that is part of a larger collection Wallbook – large printed book that is designed also to be mounted on a wall Yearbook – a book that is published annually Information structure – also called information packaging, describes the way in which information is formally packaged within a sentence Casebook – a special type of textbook used in law schools in the United States Open textbook – a textbook licensed under an open copyright license, and made available online to be freely used Problem book – a textbook, usually graduate level, organized as a series of problems and full solutions Sourcebook – a collection of texts, often used in social sciences and humanities in the United States Study guide – a textbook used to study for a topic, exam, etc. Workbook – a type of textbook with practice problems, where answers can be written directly in the book
Physical properties of a book
Book size – the dimensions of a book Leaf – a single sheet, the left-hand page of which is the verso, and right-hand page is the recto Page – one side of a leaf of paper. Title page, often with the imprint page on its verso. Half-title Ink – a type of pigment used to write letters upon the pages of a book Paper – a material that easily absorbs ink, made from ground plant cellulose. Parchment – a heavier alternative to paper, often made of reeds, cotton, or animal hide. Book cover – protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book. Dust jacket – detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers.
Contents of a book
Subject matter Literature (outline) – prose, written oral, including fiction and non-fiction, drama and poetry. List of Literary or Writing Genres – writing genres are determined by narrative technique, tone, content, and sometimes length Fiction (outline) – classification for any story or universe derived from imagination—and not based strictly on history or fact Literary fiction (outline) – type of fiction that focuses more on analyzing the human condition than on plot Genre fiction – plot-driven fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre non-fiction – type of content whose creator (in good faith) assumes responsibility for the truth or accuracy of events, people, or information presented Reference work – a book or periodical (or its electronic equivalent) to which one can refer for information. Abstract – is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. Outline (list) – called a hierarchical outline, is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships and is a type of tree structure. An outline is used to present the main points (in sentences) or topics (terms) of a given subject.
Structure of book content Book design – the common structural parts of a book include: Front cover: hardbound or softcover (paperback); the spine is the binding that joins the front and rear covers where the pages hinge. Front endpaper – the endpapers of a book are pages that consist of a double-size sheet folded, the front endpaper and the flyleaf. Flyleaf: The blank leaf or leaves following the front free endpaper. Front matter – the first section of a book Frontispiece – a decorative illustration on the verso facing the title page