This is a traditional book format where a single large sheet of paper is folded multiple times to yield twenty-four individual leaves, resulting in forty-eight printed pages. Because it requires a specific imposition layout and folding sequence, it is less common than standard octavo or duodecimo formats. Binders and historians use the term to describe the physical construction of small, pocket-sized volumes.
The auction catalog lists the rare hymnal as a vigesimo-quarto, which explains its unusually small dimensions.
You will almost always see this written as 24mo in catalogs rather than spelled out.
Also heard as
- 24mo
- twenty-fours
Related terms
8vo
A standard book format created by folding a printed sheet three times to form eight leaves.
12mo
A book format created by folding a printed sheet into twelve leaves.
Sextodecimo
A book size created by folding a printed sheet into 16 leaves.
Signature
A large printed sheet folded multiple times to form a sequential section of a book.
Imposition
The arrangement of pages on a press sheet to ensure correct order after folding and trimming.