Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A book having little or no literary merit or substance, often published to exploit a fad.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or being something other than a book, such as microfilm or microfiche in a library.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun That which is not a book.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

non- +‎ book

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Examples

  • November 2005 the graphic novel was the only 'nonbook' on Time's list of the 100 best novels since 1923.

    Archive 2006-04-01 Michael Stevens 2006

  • Personally I see great virtue in the "nonbook" presentation of certain biographical or historical subjects.

    Deutsch's Mozart Kirkpatrick, Ralph 1965

  • Your life has arranged some more personalized nonbook learning.

    The Bushman Way of Tracking God PhD Bradford Keeney 2010

  • Borders filed for Chapter 11 with plans to close about 30% of its stores and emerge with a new focus on e-books and nonbook products.

    What's News: Business 2011

  • They're at Costco and newsstands and grocery stores and dozens of other nonbook book outlets.

    Archive 2009-03-01 2009

  • They're at Costco and newsstands and grocery stores and dozens of other nonbook book outlets.

    Backlist Books Clogging Up the System? 2009

  • Publishers need to build reader relationships to avoid their authors becoming "anonymous wordsmiths" at a time when showcase opportunities are declining as Borders Group Inc. closes 200 stores and Barnes & Noble Inc. dedicates more space to nonbook items.

    Writers Get Close on Web Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg 2011

  • Borders hopes this, along with better customer service and expanded nonbook offerings in its stores, like craft kits from Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc., can drive the top-line turnaround it desperately wants.

    Borders Loss Widens as Sales Fall 2010

  • Some US internet retailers of other products, like LLBean, for example, don't apply such stupid restrictions or don't have to, although there are many other nonbook retailers who've decided they can't be arsed organising non-US freight, well, because they can.

    Making Light: Amazon versus Macmillan 2010

  • Every other meeting is now devoted to nonbook discussions because participants were talking about these topics instead of about books.

    Women Find Nontraditional Ways 2008

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