Although book and booklet are two very similar words, there is a difference between them in terms of size. A book is a bound publication that has a considerable number of pages. A booklet is generally considered to be a little book with few pages and paper covers. Thus, the key difference between book and booklet can be termed as their number of pages.
What is a Book
A book is a written, printed, illustrated work or blank pages fastened together and bound in covers. Different publications such as novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, notebooks, textbooks, atlases, guidebooks, etc. are considered as books. According to UNESCO definition, a book is “a bound non-periodical publication having 49 or more pages”. However, USA postal service defines a book as “a bound publication having 24 or more pages, at least 22 of which are printed and contain primary reading material, with advertising limited only to book announcements”. As evident from these definitions, there are varied views about books. However, it is generally accepted that a book has more pages than booklets, pamphlets, etc. Books like dictionaries and encyclopedias have hundreds of pages.
A single sheet of a book is called a leaf and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book can carry information in different ways – as texts, images, graphs, maps, etc. Information about a variety of theoretical and practical information can be obtained from books.
In contemporary usage, the term book can also refer to a book that is available in the digital form; this is also known as an e-book. Books can be also classified into different categories such as fiction and nonfiction, hardback and paperback, etc.
What is a Booklet?
The word booklet can be quite ambiguous since different people mean different things by it. However, a booklet is generally accepted to be a little book having a paper covers and few pages. The Business dictionary defines it as “a bound publication, commonly having less than 20 pages”. Pamphlets are also sometimes described as booklets. A pamphlet is an unbound, but fastened booklet. A spiral bound book such as a mini-reference book or a pocket-sized guide may also be called a booklet since its physical dimensions are small. Books with a smaller size (a lower width and height) and those with fewer pages are usually called booklets. However, hardbacks or case bound books are never called booklets irrespective of their size and page count.
What is the difference between Book and Booklet?
Book vs Booklet |
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| A book is a set of written, printed, or blank sheets bound together between a front and back cover. | A booklet is a little book with a paper cover and few pages. |
| Cover | |
| Books can have hard covers or paper covers. | Booklets have paper covers, they never have hard covers. |
| Pages | |
| Books can have hundreds of pages. | Booklets have a fewer number of pages than a book. |
| Physical Dimensions | |
| Books are typically larger in length and width than booklets. | Booklets are typically smaller in length and width than booklets. |
| Examples | |
| Novels, dictionaries, atlases, textbooks, notebooks, etc. are typically called books. | Brochures, pamphlets, mini guide books, etc. can be called booklets. |
Image Courtesy:
“Cerra Tea Booklet” by A Girl With Tea (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
“Urval av de bocker som har vunnit Nordiska radets litteraturpris under de 50 ar som priset funnits (3)” By Johannes Jansson/norden.org, (CC BY 2.5 dk) via Commons Wikimedia