catchword
The word appearing at the bottom of the page
following the bottom line of print. It is also the
first word of the following page. Catchwords
originally appeared on the last page of a quire or
manuscript, and were intended to he used by the
bookbinder in gathering. Later, they appeared at
the foot of every verso or even every page;
however, their use in the printed books of Europe
was never very consistent. In Italian books of the
period 1470-1500 they first appeared at the end of
each signature (section), and later at the end of
every page. In the 19th century, their use in
conjunction with signature marks was redundant and
they were discontinued. (12 , 156 , 234 , 365 )
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