a quick guide to basic book anatomy

There are a lot of names for the parts of the body of a book (some that you almost definitely already know), and some will come up a lot more than others. Here are some key terms that will come in handy as you start or continue to explore the world of book arts.

The exterior-most layer of a book is its cover.

Collectively, the pages inside a book are referred to as its text block.

The back edge of a book that hinges as it opens is the book’s spine.

A text block is most often comprised of one or more signatures. A signature is a stack of pages that are folded in half. If a book has multiple signatures in its text block, they’re usually stacked one on top of another.

Endpages are sometimes also called endpapers, endleaves, or endsheets. They are the pages on the inside face of a book’s cover - the side that touches the interior text block. Usually they are hinged and are part of what connects a cover to the rest of the book. Endpages can be created with blank paper, colorful paper, or decorative paper depending on the desired aesthetic.

There are lots and lots more terms to describe parts of books, but these are the ones that come up most often and most crucially in our courses. If you’re curious to learn more about book basics, check out our beginner courses in our calendar!