Dog Days: The Words of August: Book Words for Book Worms: National Book Lovers Day, August 9

In the days before dictation software, in fact before software of any kind at all, there was the amanuensis. An amanuensis is someone who writes down everything that is said. Often it is easier for someone not used to being a writer to speak their thoughts aloud. The amanuensis captures this free-flowing speech on the page, so it can then be organized and edited into a finished work.

A bibliophile is a word that literally means “book lover.” It is important to distinguish a bibliophile from a bibliomaniac. A bibliomaniac is someone whose hobby of collecting rare books has gotten out of control. Most bibliomaniacs are collectors first and don’t even read the books they buy, but when you call someone a bibliophile you’re talking about their love of reading first and foremost.

Colophon is a Greek word originally meaning "finishing touch." Today it refers to a publisher's emblem or logo that can be seen on the spine and title page of most books.

Many long stories have epilogues because the reader has been following the characters for so long that they will simply have to know what happens to their favorite characters after the story ends. Epilogues were a tradition in the ancient theater, as the last bit of dialogue spoken; usually it contained a lesson the author wanted to leave their audience with.

If a novel takes the form of a series of letters written between two (or occasionally more) people, then it can be called an epistolary novel. Epistola is Latin for "letter."

Besides being an illustration at the beginning of a book—children's books will often have them—frontispiece can also refer to an architectural feature framing the entrance to a building. It's a great word, in that it pretty much tells you exactly what it means: this piece is in front.

To call a book a tome is to say that it is a very large book, long in page count.

Volume is a very old word, dating from the 14th century, when it meant “any roll of parchment containing writing.” The fact that the writing was on a scroll is important to the name, as volume comes from Latin words meaning “that which is rolled” and “to turn around, revolve.”