From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
For other uses see Book .
An open book in German with black and white drawings.
Before the invention and adoption of the printing press almost all books were copied by hand making books expensive and comparatively rare.
A book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of paper parchment or other material usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book.
Books may also refer to a literature work or a main division of such a work. In library and information science a book is called a monograph to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines journals or newspapers. The body of all written works including books is literature.
In novels a book may be divided into several large sections also called books .
A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile a bibliophilist or a philobiblist or more informally a bookworm.
A store where books are bought and sold is a bookstore or bookshop. Books can also be borrowed from libraries or obtained for reading through the practice of BookCrossing.
