“No Date” books in publishing typically refer to books published more than several years ago that have not been updated since publication and, therefore, become outdated. While this doesn’t indicate badness of content or relevance for its purpose, a history book published more than several years ago without including new information likely falls into this category.
No Date (ND), also called no printing date, indicates that an item did not receive an official publication date from its publisher. It could be for various reasons such as being missing, publishers not providing it as part of their contract terms;
The publisher should have included a date. The date was purposefully left off (such as sensitive government publications). The book was published without dates (“dateless book”).
Or it has been removed for another reason, such as the library discarding it with its front matter intact).
“Nondateable” can also mean that a book cannot be accurately dated, typically applied to ancient titles.
No standard position exists for the ND designation on book covers or title pages; its presence can often be found on copyright pages but could vary accordingly.
No Date is an essential book for many reasons, not least of which is its impact in publicizing No Date to readers. Furthermore, No Date was among the first books to provide an in-depth exploration of No Date as a way of improving quality in book publishing and its process for doing so. Finally, No Date offers valuable resources for those wanting to learn more about No Date.
