bladzij

Bladzij is a historical Dutch bibliographic term used to denote a specific side of a leaf in a manuscript or bound book. The word combines blad (leaf) and zijde (side) and is primarily found in older catalogs and paleographic descriptions. In contemporary library practice, bladzijde (page) and recto/verso terminology are more common, and bladzij is considered largely obsolete except in certain digitized or tradition-specific corpora that aim to preserve historical terminology.

A leaf has two bladzij, one on each side of the sheet. These sides may carry different textual material, marginalia, or marks that are important for provenance, dating, or textual criticism. Catalog descriptions sometimes refer to a particular bladzij to locate a passage relative to the physical leaf rather than to the copy’s pagination, which can vary between editions or copies.

Usage of bladzij varies by region and era. Some libraries or manuscript traditions distinguished a "first bladzij" and a "second bladzij," or labeled sides by recto and verso using Latin or vernacular terms; the exact practice depends on local cataloging conventions. Because bladzij is not part of modern standard cataloging, researchers are advised to consult the specific house style or glossary of the catalog they are using when encountering the term.

See also: bladzijde, recto, verso, codicology, paleography, manuscript cataloging.