If the spine of the book has been twisted the upper and lower boards will not be even. Also called "cantered".
A spine that has become slanted, the boards are no longer square with each other.
spine is no longer square to front & rear covers; when closed book is viewed from top or bottom the edges of the pages will appear slanted
This happens when a book is not properly stored or shelved. The book is no longer squar in its binding, it appears to be deformed and the spine no longer remains at right angles to the covers. [Back to the Top
Used to describe the condition of a binding where the spine is slanted. The top and bottom boards are no longer parallel to each other. The binding appears twisted, even if at only one end. This can also indicate a more serious cracked binding flaw, but not always. Also known as spine lean. This type of damage occurs when books are casually stored; weighted down, stacked on top of one another, and crammed in too tightly on a bookshelf. The Guard (see backstrip) becomes stretched out of shape and can only be repaired by re-sewing the text block - which is not very practical in most circumstances.
spine is not square as it is when new, but has a definite angle caused by poor handling while reading
If, when looking down on the head of a book, the corners are not square it is said to be cocked or rolled. Also known as a spine slant. (Note: cocking 'can' also involve a book's spine being slightly twisted or non-vertical at either end that is not severe enough to cause spine slant.
(Spine) - a spine which is on an angle, meaning that the boards/covers do not line up evenly with each other
A distortion caused by incorrect storage. The leading edges of the front and rear cover boards are out of line with one another instead of level, giving an angled appearance. Most apparent when looking at the spine whilst the book is standing upright
Also shelf-cocked. A condition resulting from storing a book on a shelf so that it leans and rests against its neighbor or the side of a bookcase. Gravity deforms the book binding. Cocked also generally refers to a book in which the spine no longer remains at right angles to the covers.