A reader’s question to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer‘s “Booktryst” blog leads to an intriguing peek into the publishing practices of the 19th Century and before. 

Do you know what a “half-title” is, why they are so often missing from old books, or why their presence can cause the value of collectible books to sky-rocket?  Do you know how those elegant leather-bound books were originally bound in leather?  Do you know what’s particularly hard to find in an original printing of Pride and Prejudice (you know, the one without the zombies)?

It’s a neat read for lovers of books and the archaic.