H 

Half Cloth

 A book that with cloth covered spine and paper covered boards.

Half-Title

 The extra page, in front of the title page, that bears the abbreviated title of the book. In the days when books were sold as unbound leaves, the half-title served as a "cover" for the protection of the true title page. Also known as fly title or bastard title.

Hard Copy

 A print out of the manuscript. Imprint- The name of the publishing company on the title page.

Hardbound (Hb)

 See hardcover.

Hardcover (Hc)

 A book with stiff boards that is bound and covered in either cloth, paper, or leather.

Headband

 A functional or ornamental band, made of colored silk or cotton, which is fastened at the top (and sometimes at the bottom) of the spine of a book. Originally it was sewn into the boards or leaves of the book to link the sections together but in today's binding process, it is often glued-on for decoration. The headbands of the 12th and early 13th centuries were combined with a leather tab. The conventional cloth or silk headband was introduced in the early 16th century and decorative glued-on headbands were introduced in the early 19th century. Also known as heads.

Header

 A caption or headline used to introduce chapters, sections or a new topic, usually in larger and bolder typeface than the body text.

Headpiece

 A type ornament or decoration appearing at the start of a section or chapter of a book.

Heads

 See headband.

High Spot

 A term that is used to denote a highly regarded first or important edition of a book.

Highlighting

 The bright pen markings where the previous owner marked the book to highlight words, sentences, and/or passages of text.

Hinge

 An inside or outside joint of the binding of a book, where the spine meets the covers. It is usually made of cloth and provides additional strength at the flex point. See book anatomy section for illustration.

Holograph

 A document or inscription written entirely in the handwriting of the person whose has signed it.