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→Elements of a Book
==Elements of a Book==
==Elements of a Book==
[[File:Chinzei-ryukyu-ki-naidai.JPG|right|thumb|400px|The first opening of ''Chinzei Ryûkyû-ki'', with the inside of the front cover giving the ''naidai'' (inside title) - ''[[Minamoto no Tametomo|Tametomo]] gaiden: Chinzei Ryûkyû-ki'' - along with ''[[furigana]]'' pronunciation guide, and an indication that the book is complete in ten volumes. The publication date is given along the top, and the author's name ([[Miyata Nanboku]] sensei) on the right. The illustrator's name, [[Okada Gyokuzan]], is covered here by a slip of paper.]]
[[File:Okutsuke-ryukyuki.JPG|right|thumb|250px|The ''okutsuke'' of ''Chinzei Ryûkyû-ki'', showing the title on the far right, the date of the woodblocks being cut (Tenpô 6, or 1835, spring), and the names and addresses of the publishers: Yoshida Jihei in Kyoto, and Tenman'ya Yasubei in Osaka. The black ''kaisen'' borders around the printed area are visible here as well.]]
Medieval books were typically written on such thick paper that there was no need for a separate book cover. Titles were simply written on the "front" of the outermost sheet. However, by the Edo period, there had come to be a demand for formal covers, both for decorative/aesthetic purposes, and also in order to make the book seem like a more precious, and thus prestigious, object. Covers quickly became standard. Still, 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.
Medieval books were typically written on such thick paper that there was no need for a separate book cover. Titles were simply written on the "front" of the outermost sheet. However, by the Edo period, there had come to be a demand for formal covers, both for decorative/aesthetic purposes, and also in order to make the book seem like a more precious, and thus prestigious, object. Covers quickly became standard. Still, 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.