Dull, short book, one of a collection (4)

I believe the answer is:

matt

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'book one of a collection' is the definition.
'matt' can be an answer for 'book' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'one of a collection' bit.

'dull short' is the wordplay.
'dull' becomes 'matte' (similar in meaning).
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'matte' with its final letter removed is 'MATT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for matt that I've seen before include "Lacking a shine" , "Telegraph cartoonist" , "Dull uniform finish" , "Dull, lustreless" , "(Of surface) dull" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app