The Elephant As They Saw It: A Collection of Contemporary Pictures and Statements on Gold Mining in California

wraps : The paper covering on the outside of a paperback.

tight : Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.

8vo : Short for Octavo, A book whose page size is approximately 8-10 inches tall. The size is based on a sheet of paper 25 inches by 38 inches, the size of paper traditionally used by book printers, which has been folded and cut into 16 pages.. Unfortunately often misunderstood to mean 8 volumes.

shelf wear : Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.