quarto (book format)

  1. Home
  2. top of the aat hierarchies
  3. Physical Attributes Facet
  4. Attributes and Properties (hierarchy name)
  5. [attributes and properties by specific type]
  6. form attributes
  7. size/dimensions
  8. [size/dimensions by specific type]
  9. [size for book formats]
  10. quarto
Scope note
The format created by folding a sheet of paper twice. It is typically more square in shape than a folio and can be of varying sizes. A common example is a book between octavo and folio in size, approximately 11 x 13 inches. To make a quarto, a sheet of paper is folded twice, forming four leaves or eight pages. Another example is a mid-sized newspaper, about 9 x 12 inches, again made by folding a sheet twice. For books, when laid paper is used, the chain lines are horizontal. The quarto was considered the most elegant format for published works in England in the early 18th century. With the mechanization of the printing industry in the 19th century, librarians began to apply the term based on the size rather than the way a book was constructed.
quarto
Accepted term: 22-Apr-2024