Meanings
plural rag books · alternative ragbook
- A book with pages made from fabric, usually cotton, designed to be used by young children.
I question the longevity of most books issued in these days, but I am never in doubt about these rag books; they are immortal.
1910, T.P.'s Weekly, volume 16, page 7852 more examples
I have a warm and happy memory of my own well-washed and well-thumbed rag book with its picture of Spot the dog, a chicken, a spinning top and building blocks. Certainly a rag book should be washable and non-toxic.
1997, Maurice Saxby, Books in the Life of a Child, →ISBN, page 177The company specialized in indestructible rag books 'for children who wear their food and eat their clothes', an attitude symbolized in its trademark depicting two dogs fighting over a rag book.
2003, Leyla Maniera, Christie's Century of Teddy Bears, →ISBN
Origin
Patented by the Dean's Rag Book Company in 1903.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Welsh llyfr clwt
- llyfr clwtbook with fabric pages designed for young children
Cite this entry
rag book. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rag%20book
“rag book.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rag%20book. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rag book,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rag%20book.
Source: rag book on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.