Book Sizes http://www.trussel.com/books/booksize.

htm

Book Sizes
The names of book sizes are based on the old system, still widely used, of considering the size of a page as a
fraction of the large sheet of paper on which it was printed. This system is illustrated in Table I below. In
printing books, an even number (as 4, 8, 16, 32, 64) of pages is printed on each side of a single large sheet,
which is then folded so that the pages are in proper sequence and the outside edges are cut so that the book
will open. Except for the largest size, the folio, the name of the size indicates the fractional part of the sheet
one page occupies (as octavo "eighth"). In this system, since the fractional name alone cannot denote an
exact size, the name of the sheet size precedes the fractional name. Thus royal octavo is understood to
designate a page one-eighth the size of a royal sheet, medium octavo a page one-eighth the size of a medium
sheet, and crown octavo a page one-eighth the size of a crown sheet. But paper is cut into many sheet sizes
and even the terms crown, medium, and royal do not always designate sheets of the same dimensions. Three
of the more common sheet sizes have been selected: royal 20 x 25 inches, medium 18 x 23 inches, and crown
15 x 19 inches. Actual page sizes run a little smaller than calculations, since the sheets, when folded to page
size, are trimmed at top, outside and bottom, the inside edge becoming part of the binding. British sheet size
sometimes differs slightly from American. Table II illustrates the size names as they are used by the American
Library Association, with only the octavo sizes including the name of a sheet size. The dimensional limits
given in the table remain standard for this system. Table III gives equivalent terms and symbols for the size
names.

Table I.
Size Name Times Sheet Folded Leaves to Sheet Pages to Sheet Size of Page in Inches
royal folio 1 2 4 20 x 12½
royal quarto 2 4 8 12½ x 10
royal octavo 3 8 16 10 x 6¼
royal sixteenmo 4 16 32 6¼ x 5
royal thirty-twomo 5 32 64 5 x 3 1/8
royal sixty-fourmo 6 64 128 3 1/8 x 2½
medium folio 1 2 4 18 x 11½
medium quarto 2 4 8 11½ x 9
medium octavo 3 8 16 9 x 5¾
medium sixteenmo 4 16 32 5¾ x 4½
medium thirty-twomo 5 32 64 4½ x 2 7/8
medium sixty-fourmo 6 64 128 2 7/8 x 2¼
crown folio 1 2 4 15 x 10
crown quarto 2 4 8 10 x 7½
crown octavo 3 8 16 7½ x 5
crown sixteenmo 4 16 32 5 x 3¾
crown thirty-twomo 5 32 64 3¾ x 2½
crown sixty-fourmo 6 64 128 2½ x 1 7/8

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Table II
Scale of the American Library Association
Size Name Symbol Outside Height* Appx Size in Inches*
folio F over 30 cm 12 x 19
quarto Q 25-30 cm 9½ x 12
octavo O 20-25 cm 6x9
imperial octavo O - 8¼ x 11½
super octavo O - 7 x 11
royal octavo O - 6½ x 10
medium octavo O - 6 1/8 x 9¼
crown octavo O - 5 3/8 x 8
duodecimo D 17.5-20 cm 5 x 7 3/8
duodecimo (large) D 17.5-20 cm 5½ x 7½
sextodecimo S 15-17.5 cm 4 x 6¾
octodecimo T 12.5-15 cm 4 x 6½
trigesimo-segundo Tt 10-12.5 cm 3½ x 5½
quadrasegisimo-octavo Fe 7.5-10 cm 2½ x 4
sexagesimo-quarto Sf less than 7.5 cm 2x3
*Outside height refers to the head-to-foot dimension of the book's cover
*Approximate Size refers to the front cover's rectangular dimensions

Table III
Size Names and Their Equivalents
Old Modern - Preferred by Printers Abbr. Symbol
folio folio fo or f -
quarto quarto 4to 4°
sexto sixmo 6to or 6mo 6°
octavo octavo 8vo 8°
duodecimo twelvemo 12mo 12°
sextodecimo sixteenmo 16mo 16°
octodecimo eighteenmo 18mo 18°
vincesimo-quarto
twenty-fourmo 24mo 24°
vigesimo-quarto
trigesimo-segundo thirty-twomo 32mo 32°
quadragesimo-octavo forty-eightmo 48mo 48°
sexagesimo-quarto sixty-fourmo 64mo 64°
©Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1966)

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Joyce Godsey's research adds:

Double Elephant Folio up to 50" tall.

Atlas Folio up to 25" tall.
Elephant Folio 23" tall.
Folio up to 15" tall.
4to up to 12" tall. aka Quarto.
8vo up to 9½" tall. aka Octavo.
12mo up to 7½" tall. aka Duodecimo.
16mo up to 6½" tall. aka Sextodecimo
24mo up to 5½" tall. aka Trigesimo-secundo
32mo up to 5" tall. aka Trigesimo-secundo
48mo up to 4" tall.
64mo up to 3" tall.

(from Collin's AUTHORS & PRINTERS DICTIONARY, OXFORD, 9th ed. 1946:

64mo, 3½" x 2¼ "

Trigesimo-secundo, 32mo 4½" x 3"
Vigesimo-quarto, 24mo, 5" x 3½"
Vigesimo, 20mo, 5" x 3"
Sexto-decimo, 16mo, 6to, 9" x 7½"
Duo-decimo, 12mo, 7½" x 4½"

Crown 8vo 7½" x 5"

Crown 4to 10"x7½"
Demy 8vo 8¾" x 5½"
Demy 4to 11" x 8¾"
Foolscap 8vo 6¾" x 4¼ "
Foolscap 4to 8½" x 6¾"
Imperial 8vo 11" x 7½"
Imperial 4to 15" x 11
Medium 8vo 9½" x 6
Medium 4to 12" x 9½"
Post 8vo 8" x 5"
Post 4to 10" x 8"
Pott 8vo 6¼ " x4
Pott 4to 8" x 6¼ "
Royal 8vo 10" x 6¼ "
Royal 4to 12½" x 10
Super Royal 8vo 10¼ " x 6¾"
Super Royal 4to 13½" x 10¼ "

FOLIOS
Atlas 26" x 17"
Crown or post 15" x 10"
Demy 17½" 11¼ "
Elephant 23" x 14"
Foolscap 13½" x 8½"
Imperial 22" x 15"
Medium 18" x 11½"
Royal 20" x 12½"

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PRINTING PAPER SIZES:

crown 20" x 15"
demy 22½" x 17½"
double crown 30" x 20"
double demy 35" x 22½"
doule foolscap 27" x 17"
double post 31½" x 19½"
double royal 40" x 25"
imperial 30 x 22"
medium 23½" x 18½"
post 19¼ " x 15½"
royal 25" x 20"
super-royal 27½" x 20½"

WRITING PAPER SIZES:

antiquarian 53" x 31"
atlas 34" x 26"
columbier 34½" x 23½"
copy or draft 20" x 16"
demy 20" x 15½"
double elephant 40" x 26¾"
elephant 28" x 23"
emperor 72" x 48"
foolscap 17" x 13½"
imperial 30" x 22"
medium 22" x 17½"
post, large 21" x 16½"
post, small 19" x 15¼ "
pott 15" x 12½"
royal 24" x 19"
super-royal 27" x 19"

FOOLSCAP
folio 13½" x 8½"
octavo 6¾" x 4¼ "
quarto 8"½" x 6¾"

and she adds the following, from the Conservation Online web site:

BOOK SIZES
The dimensions of books, as measured, in inches, centimeters, or millimeters, from head to tail and from spine
to fore edges of the cover. The descriptions given to book sizes are based on a still currently used system that
involves using the size of a leaf as a fraction of the folded sheet on which it was printed. With reference to the
printing of books, an even number of leaves always results when a sheet is folded, i.e., 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.,
resulting in printed pages on each side of the leaf, i.e., 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. Except for the largest size, the FOLIO
(1) , the name of the size indicates the fractional part of the sheet one leaf occupies, e.g., quarto (2 folds, 4
leaves, 8 pages),¼ of the sheet; octavo (3 folds, 8 leaves, 16 pages), 1/8 of the sheet, etc. In this system, since
books are printed from different sizes of sheets (See: BOOK BASIS), the fractional designation by itself
cannot denote an exact size; therefore it is a common practice to give the name of the sheet before the
fractional name, e.g., royal octavo, which is an octavo 1/8 the size of a sheet 20 X 25 inches or, excluding the

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SQUARES, a book 10 x 6¼ inches (before trimming). Paper is cut to so many sizes, however, that the terms
crown, royal, post, etc., unless qualified, are practically meaningless. (See: SIZES OF PAPER). Untrimmed
sizes for three commonly used sheet sizes are given below. The customary trim of 1/8 inch at head and tail
will reduce the height of the text block by¼ inch; however, the size of the bound book. assuming 1/8 inch
squares will make the height of the book the same as the sizes given. It should be mentioned that not all sheet
sizes given are folded to produce books of the very small size indicated. All folds, following the first, are
right-angle folds.

The common book-trade designation of sizes was originally related to a sheet of handmade paper measuring
19 X 25 inches, which was the common size of the papermaking mold. When folded to 8 leaves, or 16 pages,
and trimmed, each was 6½ X 9¼ inches, approximately, and was the standard dimension of an 8vo. When
folded to make 16 leaves, or 32 pages, it was a 16 mo. With the present great variety of paper sizes, all
dimensions are by necessity only approximate. (52, 69, 140, 156, 169)

Book sizes
Size of
Size Times Leaves Pages
Name Untrimmed
(in inches) Folded per Sheet per Sheet
Page (leaf)
25 by 38 folio 1 2 4 25 by 19
25 by 38 quarto 2 4 8 19 by 12½
25 by 38 octavo 3 8 16 12½ by 9½
25 by 38 sixteenmo 4 16 32 9½ by 6¼
25 by 38 thirty-twomo 5 32 64 6¼ by 4¾
25 by 38 sixty-fourmo 6 64 18 4¾ by 3 1/8
20 by 25 folio 2 4 20 by 12½
20 by 25 quarto 2 4 8 12½ by 10
20 by 25 Octavo 3 8 16 10 by 6¼
20 by 25 sixteenmo 4 16 32 6¼ by 5
20 by 25 thirty-twomo s 32 64 2½ by 3 1/8
20 by 25 sixty-fourmo 6 64 128 3 1/8 by 2½
18 by 23 folio 2 4 18 by 11½
18 by 23 quarto 2 4 8 11½ by 9
18 by 23 octavo 3 8 16 9 by 5¾
18 by 23 sixteenmo 4 16 32 5¾ by 4½
18 by 23 thirty-twomo 5 32 64 4½ by 2 7/8
18 by 23 sixty-fourmo 6 64 128 2 7/8 by 2¼

British book sizes

Size Name Octavo Size Quarto Size
pott 6¼ by 4 8 by 6¼
foolscap 6¾ by 4¼ 8¼ by 6¾

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crown 7½ by 5 1O by 7½
large crown 8 by 5¼ 10½ by 8
large post 8¼ by 5¼ 10¼ by 8¼
demy 8¾ by 5 5/8 11¼ by 8¾
post 8 by 5 10 by 8
small demy 8½ by 5 5/8 11¼ by 8½
medium 9 by 5¾ 11½ by 9
small royal 9¼ by 6 1/8 12¼ by 9¼
royal 10 by 6¼ 12½ by 10
super royal 10¼ by 6¾ 13½ by 10¼
imperial 11 by 7½ 15 by 11

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