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Condition DefinitionsA word about the condition of the books for sale here. Traditionally, booksellers have created terms for book condition and description which are helpful within the trade but can be cryptic or confusing to the public at large. It is rather easy to pick up a book in a store or at a show and determine many of its qualities, but quite another to do so from a printed catalog or this new-fangled internet thing. My six online catalog fields are as follows: Author, Title, Publishing Information (place, publisher, date, edition), Condition, Description, and Price. The Condition field grades the book as Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, or Poor, supplemented with the occasional use of plusses or minuses in borderline cases. I grade conservatively. I join most online booksellers in wanting you to be aware of all significant flaws, leaving you pleasantly rather than negatively surprised when the shipment arrives. We make the occasional bibliographic or condition error, but satisfaction is guaranteed and you can return any purchase for any reason within seven days of having received it. And remember . . . feel free to ask any questions or request a scanned image before you order (this offer does not apply to The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas, Harlequin romance novels, or Iacocca: An Autobiography, all of which I already see far too often and want no further exposure to, and all of which you wouldn't order anyway or else I wouldn't be treating them so unkindly). After the book is graded, descriptive text often follows in parentheses which explains why it was graded that way. This is followed by a slash, and then repeated for the dust jacket (when there is one). After Condition comes Description. Here the order is reversed, and I drill down into the book from the outermost layer to the final page, as necessary. First the slipcase or dust jacket, then the hard or soft covers of the book, then the outer edges of the pages when the book is closed (are they colored red, marbled, untrimmed?), then the inside covers, the endpapers, the front matter, illustrations, pull-out maps, bibliographies, indices and so on right until the final page. The Independent Online Booksellers Association was kind enough to let me use the Book Terminology glossary they have prepared, which you can get to from the Table of Contents. While we are on the subject though, I should mention that I'm a holdout for the use of a few antiquarian terms such as "foxing" (brown age spots) and "wraps," which simply refers to the paper covers on a booklet or trade paperback. I note early on that we are talking about a softcover book, and in all cases I try to use natural language that won't muddy the waters. As for my Condition Definitions, they are adapted from those promulgated by the former AB Bookman and long used as a trade standard, as well as more modern interpretations from IOBA and many others, as follows: FINE (F): In extremely nice condition, ranging from As New/Mint/Very Fine to books which may have been handled or read but have few if any very minor defects, all of which must be noted. NEAR FINE (NF): Approaching Fine, but may have more minor defects such as light rubbing to the dust jacket, all of which must be noted. VERY GOOD (VG): This is for a book which is still in very good shape, with no major defects and not too many moderate defects. Normal signs of wear might put it in this category, all of which must be noted. GOOD (G): Worn, with several minor to moderate defects which might include soiled covers, bumped edges, loose hinges, creased pages, and scattered foxing. All pages must be present. In terms of the dust jacket, this might include tears, chips, rubbing, creasing, and soiling. The absence of a known dust jacket should be imparted regardless of the grade assigned to the book. Note all defects. Good should probably be called Fair, but who am I to break with tradition? POOR (P): To be avoided (especially for offer online) unless the book is scarce. Books in Poor or Good condition are also often useful as Reading or Reference Copies, where condition is not very important. Even when describing Poor condition, note anything missing. EX-LIBRARY (Ex-Library): From any type of library, as the name implies. These will range in condition and value, but must always be clearly noted as Ex-Library copies. BOOK CLUB EDITION (Book Club Edition): Ditto, though sometimes harder to discern, even among professionals and expert collectors. |
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