Changes

==Elements of a Book==

==Elements of a Book==

Traditionally, book covers, particularly on ''fukurotoji'' books, were made of simple paper, or paper lining a somewhat thicker piece of card-board made from recycled paper. These outer covers were often burnished with a material called ''dôsa'' (礬水), made from alum and hide glue, which provided some protection for the books; covers were also often embossed, printed, painted, or burnished with simple patterns. These patterns were, sometimes, used exclusively by a single publisher, thus marking the book as having been produced by that publishing house. A paper slip known as a ''gedai'' (外題, "outside title"), affixed to the front cover, often gives the title of the book, along with other information, such as the volume number within a series.  

Traditionally, book covers, particularly on ''fukurotoji'' books, were made of simple paper, or paper lining a somewhat thicker piece of card-board made from recycled paper. These outer covers were often burnished with a sizing material called ''dôsa'' (礬水), made from alum and hide glue, which provided some protection for the books; covers were also often embossed, printed, painted, or burnished with simple patterns. These patterns were, sometimes, used exclusively by a single publisher, thus marking the book as having been produced by that publishing house. A paper slip known as a ''gedai'' (外題, "outside title"), affixed to the front cover, often gives the title of the book, along with other information, such as the volume number within a series.  

Not strong enough to stand vertically on a shelf like Western bindings, Japanese books were always meant to be stored horizontally (laid out flat on the shelf), or, in a stiff box called a ''chitsu'' (帙), which then served the double purpose of also conveniently collecting multiple volumes together.

Not strong enough to stand vertically on a shelf like Western bindings, Japanese books were always meant to be stored horizontally (laid out flat on the shelf), or, in a stiff box called a ''chitsu'' (帙), which then served the double purpose of also conveniently collecting multiple volumes together.

The inside back cover of a book often contains a more detailed version of this information. Known as the publisher's colophon (''okutsuke'' 奥付 or ''kanki'' 刊記), this generally includes at minimum the date of the carving of the blocks and the name and address of the publisher; note that books were often re-printed and re-issued numerous times, and the date in the ''okutsuke'' remains the date that the woodblocks for printing this book were originally carved, and thus does not reflect the actual printing/publication date of that particular volume, which may be a second-, third-, or even fourth-printing. Sometimes multiple publishers are listed; in this case, the last name on the left is typically the ''hanmoto'' (板元), or the owner of the woodblocks, and thus owner of the publication rights, so to speak, though concepts of intellectual property and publication rights functioned quite differently at that time. The ''okutsuke'' often also included, once again, the names of artists and authors, as well as, sometimes, block carvers or others involved in the production of the work. In many Edo period commercially published books, the last several pages of the volume (before the ''okutsuke'') featured advertisements for other offerings from the same publisher.

The inside back cover of a book often contains a more detailed version of this information. Known as the publisher's colophon (''okutsuke'' 奥付 or ''kanki'' 刊記), this generally includes at minimum the date of the carving of the blocks and the name and address of the publisher; note that books were often re-printed and re-issued numerous times, and the date in the ''okutsuke'' remains the date that the woodblocks for printing this book were originally carved, and thus does not reflect the actual printing/publication date of that particular volume, which may be a second-, third-, or even fourth-printing. Sometimes multiple publishers are listed; in this case, the last name on the left is typically the ''hanmoto'' (板元), or the owner of the woodblocks, and thus owner of the publication rights, so to speak, though concepts of intellectual property and publication rights functioned quite differently at that time. The ''okutsuke'' often also included, once again, the names of artists and authors, as well as, sometimes, block carvers or others involved in the production of the work. In many Edo period commercially published books, the last several pages of the volume (before the ''okutsuke'') featured advertisements for other offerings from the same publisher.

==Book Sizes==

==Book Sizes==