Anatomy of a Book

There are several parts to a book that not everyone is familiar with.  Here are a few:

1.     1.   Endpaper- These are the first and last pages in the book, directly next to the covers.  Sometimes they are blank, which is pretty boring, but often in children’s books they print designs and pictures on them.

2.      2.  Casewrap- When you buy a hardcover book, they often have a laminated covering called a jacket.  The cover paper underneath that jacket is the casewrap.

3.      3.  Book Block-  This is the main body of the book.

4.     4.   Gutter- The space where the page meets the binding in the middle is called the gutter. 

5.      5.  Headband- This is a small decorative strip at the top and bottom of a casebound book that fills the gap between the spine and cover.

6.     6.   Backbone- this is the part of the cover that connects the front to the back. Many of us know this as the spine.

Some of these book parts I learned previously in my Children’s Literature class, but there were a few new ones.  I was not familiar with casewrap or headband.  I had trouble figuring out headband until I started looking at several books to find them.  I do like knowing about these parts because it helps me to better evaluate the physical quality of a book and the different ways they are bound.  I’ve started looking at these bits more critically when thinking of books for purchase.  It also came in handy when I spent some time assisting a local elementary librarian (my mom) in repairing books and weeding others.