Book-work

That portion of the printing business which is connected with the printing of books, as distinguished from jobbing and news-work.

Previous to the commencement of the composition of any work, a Direction Paper should be given to the clicker for his instructions and to secure uniformity in the style of the composition. It should state distinctly the exact name of the work; for whom printed; when ordered; estimated size (—sheets of—pp. each); the even head-lines; and the odd head-lines. It should also be distinctly understood whether the author’s punctuation and capitals are to be followed; and when the work is required to be completed. It is also usual to give the following instructions:—The dimensions of the page; the size and style of the type in which are to be set the texts, extracts, notes, side notes, incut notes, chapter headigs, and head-lines; with the thickness of the lead for the text, extracts, and notes respectively. These matters once definitely arranged, much trouble, annoyance, and expense are saved.

Book-work, says Houghton, in his “Printer’s Practical Every-day Book,” is that branch of case in which all the matter composed is divided into pages and each progressively numbered and placed so as to fall, fold, and read in successive order when printed. It extends to a large description of work, and embraces every sized pages into which a sheet of printing paper can be folded without waste. The sizes are both regular and irregular, according to the manner in which the sheet is folded. The former includes those which double their number the first and every subsequent fold of the sheet, such as a folio, quarto, octavo, sixteens, thirty-two’s, &c; the latter those which fold into odd numbers before they double into the required size, such as twelves, eighteens, twenties, twenty-fours, thirty-sixes, &c. It is divided this: Casting-off copy; composing; making-up; imposing—each of which subjects will be referred to in its proper place.

The great excellences which should characterise book-work more especially than any other class of work are, correct punctuation, uniform capitalling, proper divisions of words, and even spacing. The order in which the different parts of a book follow each other is, the half or bastard title, the title, advertisement, preface, contents, then the text, and finally the index.