Just some notes I had tucked away on paper and books:
Book sizes
The size of a book’s pages is based on the size of the sheets of paper it is printed on and the number of pages printed per sheet. For example: for quarto, 4 pages are printed on a sheet of paper 19” by 24”.
I tried to find figures in mid-century texts. Most discussed at length the number of times a sheet of paper was folded but not the measurement of the finished page.
One neat thing I found was that the size of the book determined how long a person could take it on loan from the NY library. “Every member residing within ten miles of the library may detain the volume or volumes so delivered as aforesaid, if it be a folio, six weeks; a quarto, three weeks; and octavo, two weeks; a duodecimo, or a volume of less size, or a pamphlet, one week.” ( http://books.google.com/books?id=5_G8lqlwT1EC&pg=PR29&dq=Quarto++Octavo+Duodecimo+date:1800-1865&lr=&num=100&as_brr=3)
Modern figures from American Library Association
These figures come from http://www.trussel.com/books/booksize.htm.
Quarto – 9 ½”x 12” Royal Octavo – 7” x 11” Octavo – 6”x 9” Duodecimo (12mo) – 5” x 7 3/8” Octodecimo (18mo.)– 4” x 6 ½” 24mo. (vincesimo-quarto) 32mo. (Trigesimo-segundo) – 3 ½” x 5 ½” 48mo. (Quadrasedisimo-octavo) – 2 ½” x 4” 64mo. (Sexagesimo-quarto) – 2” x 3”
American Book Sizes:
From Royal paper 25” x 20” Royal folio 20”x12 ½” Royal Quarto 10” x 12 ½” Royal Octavo 10” x 6 ¼” Royal Sextodecim (16mo) 5″ x 6 ¼” From Medium paper 24” x 19” Medium Folio 19” x 12” Medium Quarto 9 ½”x 12” Medium Octavo 6”x 9” Medium Duodecimo (12mo) 5” x 7 3/8” Medium Sextodecim (16mo) 6” x 4 ½” Medium Octodecimo (18mo.) 4” x 6 ½” Medium 24mo. (vincesimo-quarto) Medium 32mo. (Trigesimo-segundo) 3 ½” x 5 ½” Medium 48mo. (Quadrasedisimo-octavo) 2 ½” x 4” 64mo. (Sexagesimo-quarto) – 2” x 3” From Imperial paper 30” x22” Imperial Folio – 22” x 15” Imperial Quarto – 11” x 15” Imperial Octavos – 11” x 7 ½” (based on The International Directory of Booksellers and Bibliophile’s Manual, Including Lists of The Public Libraries of the World, edited by James Clegg (London: Elliot Stock; New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1899), Clegg’s International Directory of the World’s Book, (1894) and some math using Royal, Medium and Imperial printer size papers.)
The best or broadest covering source I found is this:
The International Directory of Booksellers and Bibliophile’s Manual, Including Lists of The Public Libraries of the World. Edited by James Clegg. London: Elliot Stock; New York: Dodd, Mead, & Co., 1899
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
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