trade book

American  

noun

1. a book designed for the general public and available through an ordinary book dealer, as distinguished from a limited-edition book, textbook, mass market paperback, etc.

---

trade book British  

noun

1. an ordinary edition of a book sold in the normal way in shops, as opposed to a de luxe or mail-order edition

---

Etymology

Origin of trade book

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The trade book case was led by Bookends & Beginnings, a bookseller in Evanston, Illinois.

From Reuters • Sep. 29, 2022

Ramsey: It's been eight years since I've done a major trade book.

From Fox News • Jan. 18, 2022

“He walked me through how to write a proposal for a trade book, which I had never done.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 24, 2019

The first government report published as a trade book was the Warren Commission’s 1964 report on J.F.K.’s assassination, which sold more than a million copies.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

I’ve heard that Hachette Book Group is debating putting one in its trade book contracts, though the publisher wouldn’t confirm it.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2019