# I can't recall the word. Book related **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126 "2021-08-18T23:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/1 "2021-08-18T23:55:56Z")
It’s a word for a collection of books, usually novels, under one cover. No, not “collected works”, because that’s too complete. Book clubs would issue them, often. Suggestions, Bibilio-Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/2 "2021-08-18T23:57:54Z")
Omnibus? Compilation? Anthology? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/3 "2021-08-19T00:15:11Z")
Anthology was my guess. Of words not given, “digest” perhaps, like in “reader’s digest.” ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/4 "2021-08-19T00:50:25Z")
collection book or anthology would be my guess. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/5 "2021-08-19T01:19:58Z")
Compendium ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/6 "2021-08-19T01:21:40Z")
Pretty sure “Reader’s Digest Condensed Books” is not what you’re looking for ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/7 "2021-08-19T01:36:02Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > It’s a word for a collection of books, usually novels, under one cover. Omnibus is my guess. I’d use “anthology” for a volume collecting shorter works, like short stories or poetry. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/8 "2021-08-19T01:48:53Z")
Omnibus is the one I remember from the Science Fiction Book Club. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/9 "2021-08-19T03:58:57Z")
Another vote for “omnibus.” ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/10 "2021-08-19T04:45:23Z")
“I took the omnibus to the library…” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/11 "2021-08-19T09:43:05Z")
OMNIBUS! BINGO! Many thanks to one & all! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/12 "2021-08-19T11:24:49Z")
While looking up other options, I discovered that “garland” also used to mean “a literary anthology or miscellany” but it’s considered an archaic usage now. And now you (and I) know. ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/13 "2021-08-21T01:53:21Z")
opus…aka body of work? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/14 "2021-08-23T09:10:38Z")
“Opus” would be one work. “Oeuvre” is probably a better fit. (Also, the plural of “opus” is “opera” which can lead to some confusion these days). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-recall-the-word-book-related/949126/15 "2021-08-23T12:52:39Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > “Opus” would be one work. “Oeuvre” is probably a better fit. Yeah, I wondered whether @EnolaStraight might have been thinking of either “oeuvre” or “corpus.” And, to be fair, an opus is one work, but that “work” could be a set of several pieces published together (for example, Beethoven’s Opus 18 is a set of 6 string quartets).