paperback

/ˌpeɪpərˈbæk/

/ˈpeɪpəbæk/

Other forms: paperbacks

A paperback is a book with a paper cover, instead of a soft cover. If you wait to buy a book until it comes out as a paperback, you'll save money.

In the 1830s and 40s, publishers began offering inexpensive versions of already-published books with paper covers, and the word paperback followed in 1888. Paperbacks are popular because they're smaller, lighter, and less expensive than their stiffly bound hardcover counterparts. A paperback edition of a book is usually released about a year after the book is first published in hardcover, although some books, called paperback originals, are published only in paperback form.

Definitions of paperback

1. adjective

   (of books) having a flexible binding
   synonyms: paperbacked

   bound

   secured with a cover or binding; often used as a combining form
2. noun

   a book with paper covers
   synonyms: paper-back book, paperback book, soft-cover, soft-cover book, softback, softback book

   types:

   pocket book, pocket edition, pocketbook

   pocket-sized paperback book

   type of:

   book, volume

   physical objects consisting of a number of pages bound together