Book
A book is a written, printed, or digital work of substantial length that is usually bound or otherwise packaged for reading.
A book is a written, printed, or digital work of substantial length, usually bound or assembled for reading. The term also covers physical objects, major divisions of longer works, and specialized record-keeping uses.
What it is
A book is generally a long written or printed work that is bound or packaged for reading, most often as a codex with pages and a cover. Modern usage includes ebooks and audiobooks. UNESCO has used a non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages, excluding covers, as a statistical threshold.
Why it matters
Books are a core part of Canadian publishing, education, libraries, and literary culture. They serve as a durable medium for preserving and transmitting knowledge, literature, and information, and are central to both everyday reading and formal publishing statistics.
Key details
The word 'book' has several related senses: it can mean financial records in business, an official record, or a set of rules. As a verb, it means to reserve or to enter information officially. Books are commonly grouped into fiction and nonfiction, and also include reference works, textbooks, and manuals.
In short
- A book is a written, printed, or digital work of substantial length, usually bound or assembled for reading.
- The term also applies to major divisions of long works, financial records, and as a verb meaning to reserve.
- UNESCO defines a book as a non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages, excluding covers.
- Books are central to Canadian publishing, education, and literary culture.
Books are a core part of Canadian publishing, education, libraries, and literary culture, and Canadian readers encounter the term in both everyday reading and formal publishing statistics.
Quick questions
What is a book?
Can a book be electronic?
What does “the books” mean in business?
Sources
- Merriam-Webster — https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookSupports: Definitions of book as a written work, bound pages, a long composition, financial records, standards, and the verb forms meaning to reserve or register.
- Wikipedia — https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/BookSupports: General description of books as written works, physical objects, fiction/nonfiction categories, and modern forms including ebooks.
- Britannica Dictionary — https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/bookSupports: Definitions of book as a printed written work, e-book, set of pages in a cover, and financial records.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/topic/book-publicationSupports: Book as a published work of literature or scholarship and UNESCO statistical definition.
- Cambridge Dictionary — https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/bookSupports: Definitions of book as a text in print or electronic form, physical pages in a cover, and verb senses such as reserving.