paperback
Soft-spined tome
A paperback is a book with a flexible paper cover, as opposed to a hardcover with rigid boards.
Paperbacks are cheaper to produce and lighter to carry.
The term works as noun or adjective: I'll wait for the paperback, the paperback edition.
Mass-market paperbacks are the small, inexpensive format sold in drugstores and airports; trade paperbacks are larger and pricier.
Book with flexible covers
- pocketbookWoman's small handbag
- mass-marketFor widespread commercial sale
- tradeExchange of commodities
- editionSingle published version
printing · reprint · reissue · copy · volume · title · release · publication
Column of vertebrae
- glueBonding substance
- adhesiveMaterial that bonds objects
- perfect-boundBinding with glued spine
- coverProtect by overlaying
pages · leaf · signature · stitching · trimming · lamination · gathering · section
New and unusual
- fictionImagined narrative work
- nonfictionLiterature about real events
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
romance · sci-fi · fantasy · bestseller · pulp · potboiler · page-turner · whodunit
Low in price
- inexpensiveLow in cost
- budgetPlan for spending
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
- discountReduced price offered
bargain · value · accessible · mass-produced · remaindered · used · secondhand · thrift
Division of a book
- prologueIntroductory literary section
- epilogueConcluding literary section
- forewordIntroductory book section
- prefaceIntroductory book section
introduction · appendix · afterword · glossary · index · bibliography · acknowledgments · dedication
Lacking mass or importance
- compactTightly packed together
- pocket-sizedSmall enough to carry
- travel-friendlySuited for journeys
- portableAble to be carried
convenient · handy · bendable · flexible · slim · manageable · commute · carry-on
Alphabetical word reference
- thesaurusSynonym and antonym compendium
- guidebookReference for travelers
- handbookCompact reference guide
- manualWritten instructions for use
phrasebook · cookbook · workbook · coursebook · textbook · primer
softcover
Book with flexible covers
- pocketbookWoman's small handbag
- mass-marketFor widespread commercial sale
- tradeExchange of commodities
edition · printing · reprint · reissue · copy · volume · title · release · publication · imprint
spine
Column of vertebrae
- glueBonding substance
- adhesiveMaterial that bonds objects
- perfect-boundBinding with glued spine
cover · pages · leaf · signature · stitching · trimming · lamination · gathering · section · thread
novel
New and unusual
- fictionImagined narrative work
- nonfictionLiterature about real events
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
mystery · romance · sci-fi · fantasy · bestseller · pulp · potboiler · page-turner · whodunit · bodice-ripper
cheap
Low in price
- inexpensiveLow in cost
- budgetPlan for spending
- economicalUsing resources sparingly
discount · bargain · value · accessible · mass-produced · remaindered · used · secondhand · thrift · sale
chapter
Division of a book
- prologueIntroductory literary section
- epilogueConcluding literary section
- forewordIntroductory book section
preface · introduction · appendix · afterword · glossary · index · bibliography · acknowledgments · dedication · epigraph
lightweight
Lacking mass or importance
- compactTightly packed together
- pocket-sizedSmall enough to carry
- travel-friendlySuited for journeys
portable · convenient · handy · bendable · flexible · slim · manageable · commute · carry-on · tote
dictionary
Alphabetical word reference
- thesaurusSynonym and antonym compendium
- guidebookReference for travelers
- handbookCompact reference guide
manual · phrasebook · cookbook · workbook · coursebook · textbook · primer
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, books
- Bookstoreaisle, bestseller, bookmark, bookshelf, browse
- publishingpublishers, editors, editor, publishing house, books
- book formatssoftcover, ebook, audiobook, large print, leather bound
- book termsfolio, quarto, octavo, duodecimo, page
- book worlddystopian fiction, young adult fiction, fantasy novels, graphic novels, memoir
paperbackhardcover
Rigid-bound book format
hardback · hardbound · clothbound · deluxe edition · collector's edition
paperbackunbound
Not tied down
loose-leaf · ebook · audiobook · digital edition · scroll