paper book noun3 •A traditional hardback or softback book, as opposed to an e-book"Instead of cases of books moldering away in warehouses, your inventory consists of a single digital file, which any "bookmaking" machine can use to crank out a paper book." — 2002 •(old-fashioned) A paperback book.Publishers of the paper books are uncertain whether their old reading public has tired of the motion picture or whether a new class of readers has arisen. — 1919 •A document prepared in English legal practice containing a record or summary of the pleadings. formspaper books