book-buildingn.
/ˈbʊkˌbɪldɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbʊkˌbɪldɪŋ/ 1.
a. The art or practice of manufacturing books (as material articles). Cf. bookcraft n. 2, bookmaking n. 2. Now rare.In quot. 1772 with reference to imitation books made from wood.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > [noun]
booking1626
book-building1772
book manufacture1809
bookmaking1824
bibliopoesy1832
bibliogony1835
bookcraft1840
1772 Ess. on Satirical Entertainm. 18 Folio volumes, carved in wood. ‘This is the present taste of book building. A man now may make a parade of much reading, by the meer assistance of his timber merchant.’
1889 Sat. Rev. 4 May 544/2 In this sumptuous volume.., all the good fairies of the book-building art, save one, appear to have cordially co-operated. The defaulter is that particular damsel who presides over the binding and stitching.
1898 Bk. Buyer Aug. 65/2 Chance and the publishers have combined to make ‘The Valley Path’ an entirely satisfactory specimen of book-building, with covers, type, and form all beyond criticism.
1924 Washington Post 23 Nov. ii. 16/4 The book is a beautiful piece of manufacturing. Perhaps that is a large part of its charm, for a good bit of book-building is like good food or fine wine.
1931 M. B. Stillwell Incunabula & Americana 181 The experiments and innovations attempted by various fifteenth century printers had either been dropped..or adopted permanently; the essential principles of book-building had become established.
1947 P. James Eng. Bk. Illustr. 1800–1900 38 Publishers and editors were capricious in their choice and mixture of artists.., and they showed a deplorable taste in all the other ingredients of book-building.
b. The art or practice of writing or compiling books. Cf. bookmaking n. 1.Frequently used in comparisons with architecture, or with depreciative connotations, implying a process that is laborious or mechanical.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > a compilation > [noun] > compiling (a work)
compilationc1430
bookmakingc1450
compiling1487
compilement1656
book-building1782
scissoring1822
1782 J. T. Callender Deformities of S. Johnson 16 The man who can make such a pedantic parade of erudition, must be a mere quack in the business of book-building.
1812 E. Nares I'll consider of It! I. xii. 172 Book-building is now much more encouraged than native talent; and one who is enabled.., to erect these modern edifices of literature.., receives the public favour and applause.
1840 W. Irving Oliver Goldsmith I. 176 With flagging spirits, therefore, he returned to his irksome toil of ‘book-building’.
1886 Boston Daily Advertiser 10 Sept. 4/4 There is so much that is disturbing in material and mural designs and buildings that one derives much comfort from the..almost soporific plans developed in most of the literary architecture of the time. Book building goes on in a calm obedience to traditions.
1901 Spectator 27 Apr. 600/2 In these days of ephemeral books, it is some satisfaction to the student of history to meet with such a great piece of solid book-building as this... We hail Mr. Hazlitt as a true builder.
1954 ABA Jrnl. Aug. 694/3 When the book-building got under way, however, we struck more high-grade ore.
2001 J. Steinbrink in L. E. Skandera Trombley & M. J. Kiskis Constructing Mark Twain 75 This piece-by-piece approach to book building, mechanical in the most rudimentary way, arose pretty clearly out of a nagging doubtfulness on Clemens's part about the sufficiency of his imagination.
2. Stock Market. The activity or process of compiling in advance a register of demand for a new issue, by negotiating with (usually institutional) investors to establish the quantity for which they would be willing to subscribe, and at what price. Frequently attributive.Book-building is principally used for initial public offerings (initial public offering n. at initial adj. and n. Additions) where there is some difficulty in establishing the market price or level of demand.
ΚΠ
1991 Times 11 Jan. 19/6 The book-building, under which institutions will be asked to put in preliminary offers at different indicative prices, will take place ahead of impact day.., when the actual price will be revealed.
1992 Independent on Sunday 8 Mar. (Business section) 36/5 His particular talent is US-style selling methods, which involve tapping international investor interest for an equity issue via a ‘book building’ exercise.
1998 H. M. Dietl Capital Markets & Corporate Governance in Japan, Germany, & U.S. (2001) i. 61 Investment banks diversify the risk associated with public offerings via syndication and book-building.
2012 Irish Times (Nexis) 11 Jan. (Finance section) 17 The number and price of the new shares will be announced today, once the book-building process has been completed.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1772