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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of trade book

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade book

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

Pearson is also expected to eventually dispose of its 47 percent stake in the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, although Mr. Fallon has said that this was unlikely before 2017.

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2016