Book condition description terms

In addition to the general condition guidelines, apply the following guidelines to new and used books. A book with its spine cracked is one where the book automatically falls open to a place where the binding has been substantially weakened. The book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. We had a drop down condition options newfinevery goodgoodfairpoor. Collectible books must be signed, a limited first edition, out of print, or have other desirable qualities that could reasonably be assumed to increase the books value to a collector. Book terms glossary advanced reading copy arc or uncorrected proof. It may have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover as well as very minimal wear and tear. A book bloggers guide to acronyms, terms and slang. For generations used book dealers and collectors have described the physical condition of a used book using certain terms, as follows. There has been a huge rise in the collectability of ultramoderns or hypermoderns and condition is even more critical in this area than others. Any exceptions to this condition description will be mentioned on the product detail page. All used books at have been designated with a descriptive condition code, listed below.

A book description should draw the reader in, but authors tend to get too flowery with these. Half price books explains the meaning of various item conditions. Terms and conditions of laughter robert glancys dry wit and sense of humour kept me very entertained and giggling throughout the novel. Poor describes a book that is sufficiently worn that its. Glossary of terms used book condition terms used reading copy a book in poor condition. The vermont antiquarian booksellers association vermont. A spine split is a spine crack carried to an extreme. Then read our guide to common book terms, book size codes, descriptions, defects and how to identify a first edition book.

The general condition guidelines do not apply to collectible books. How to read rare book condition descriptions as provided by professional booksellers. How to describe the condition of a used book toughnickel. You need to know these terms when buying for your collection if and when you are buying a book that you can not hold in your hands to inspect.

A biographical sketch of an author, commonly found on the rear flap of a dustjacket. If you use these general terms, try always to qualify them with a more detailed description of the object. Book condition guide, music condition guide half price books. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include.

Not only will this allow the novice to correctly describe a book, this page will provide an easy reference to unknown book words allowing an intelligent decision before purchasing or describing a book to sell. Crabtrees collection old books uses a number of standard terms to define the physical condition of our outofprint books. Heres a screenshot of this book, how to sell a truckload of books on amazon. Ioba book terminology independent online booksellers. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves. Ioba book condition definitions are here for two reasons. About 80% of the books i listed were described as good, and the system would fill in book in good condition with some overall wear. How to read bookseller descriptions and conditions book collecting guide. Describing an old book state library of pennsylvania. The complete list of terms a bookseller might use is considerable.

Last week i posted about otps and several people said that they didnt know the acronym. Like everything you buy at powells, if youre not satisfied with the condition of your used book, return it for a full refund. Includes links to related sites, tutorials, images of bindings and book objects. Fine f a book that has no defects in book or jacket, but not as crisp as it was when new. You can determine the condition of a vehicle by taking a condition quiz found on the equipment selection page, or by comparing the car to these category definitions. Any specific defect of a book should be mentioned in the book description. The book shown at left is almost completely separated along the spine. Book terms and book conditions used by book collectors. This abbreviated glossary covers only the most commonly encountered terms. Book terminology terms, sizes, condition and defects glossary.

It pays to become familiar with the basic descriptive terms used by used and rare booksellers to communicate a particular books condition. Ioba condition definitions independent online booksellers. When a book has just been flawlessly printed and flawlessly bound and has not yet been handled, it is in mint or pristine condition. A condition of the covers or boards of a hardcover book. Entertaining different honest well written must have fine print. A product that was inspected and graded by a qualified supplier a seller, vendor, or by amazon in working condition with no structural imperfections that could impact the functionality. Describes a book in which the top, fore edge and bottom of the outside of the.

Kelley blue book divides the condition of used vehicles into four grades. Fair a book in very worn condition, but all of its important parts and dust jacket if one was issued must be present. As new is to be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. Grading books how to describe condition at bookseller world. Booksellers use standard terms to describe the condition of the used books that they sell. The ioba book condition definitions standards codify these condition definitions so that ioba booksellers have a guideline for describing their books. It occurred to me that there are lots of book blogging terms that. Kelley blue book assesses a used vehicles condition as fair if its tires need replacement, it has any rust which must be repairable to be classified in fair condition, it possesses some defects in the engine or other mechanical systems, or any visual flaws in the paint job or the interior. Must have nasty characters that you love to hate condition 1. A book bloggers guide to acronyms, terms and slang feed.

Ever how to interpret the condition, edition, and other terms included in the description of a book for sale. All condition reports are subjective to some extent. Search the glossary of book terms to unravel the puzzling language you may have found in the description of your book. There may be exceptions to some of our definitions our main concern is to provide you with general concepts relative to commonly used book jargon. You may find a book description begins with some numbers and letters.

These ioba book condition definitions are used to describe both the book and the dust jacket, if applicable. When describing a used book, mint is an ideal condition and very rarely a reality. Another website where used book dealers sell their books is and here are its suggested definitions of book condition terms. A brief workgenerally between 1 and 35 pages in lengthon a topic. They were adopted by the bookselling community and are still in use today. Glossary of terms used in book descriptions booksellers and book collectors use various terms to describe books, their constituent parts and condition. It is important to both collectors and dealers that you accurately describe your books condition using industry standards. Often, the mull or backing can be seen through the crack when the book lies open. These terms are relatively new and not accepted by some dealers and collectors, mainly in the antiquarian area. A short descriptive paragraph on a book, usually on the dustjackets flap. We hope that these definitions of book condition and book defects may be helpful. There can be no defects, no missing pages, no library stamps, etc. Youll see i use keywords throughout the pagein the header, in the description, and in the bullets. Terms such as good, fair, reasonable, poor are often used in condition reporting, but can create problems.

Booksellers are individuals and as such may have what they think is the best book description definitions. Describing the condition of books can be complicated in the field of childrens and illustrated books. Terms for describing book condition from ab bookmans as new is to be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. See the sellers listing for full details and a description of any imperfections. To be considered collectible, a book should be unique in a way that could reasonably be assumed to increase the books value to a collector such as first editions and first printings. A comic book in fr condition may have nonstory elements such as coupons, ad pages, or marvel value stamps cut or torn out of the book. It may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted, have loose joints, hinges, pages, but must have a complete, legible text. A spine split of up to 23 the length of the book, a missing back cover provided the front cover is still attached, severe water damage or residue damage. Included in every issue ab bookmans after 1949 was a set of criteria for grading the condition of used books. A previously owned book in good, reading condition. Ab bookmans weekly, which ceased publication in 1999, was for decades the bible of the antiquarian book trade.

The first half of the glossary contains terms az and is followed by two book anatomy illustrations, descriptions of the various book sizes, a guide to condition ratings, and the most common abbreviations used in the world of. Online sales used book condition descriptions used. How to grade and describe book condition bookseller world. Abbreviations appear alphabetized at the beginning of each respective letter. The historical or public records themselves, which are generally noncirculating materials such as collections of personal papers, rare books, ephemera, etc. Book terminology or book terms are the vocabulary used in book collecting to describe the many different parts of the book. Probably the easiest way to find them is to click on show more under describe the condition of your product when youre listing a book. Thus the word book may be replaced by dust jacket in the following definitions. Graphic reporting on condition in addition to written reports on the condition of. The set of terms below were proposed in 1949 by ab bookmans weekly. Learn about finelike new, very good, good, fair and poor books, music and movies. Book condition guidelines bert babcock bookseller, llc.

When considering the purchase of a book for your collection, the condition and, if applicable, the dust jacket are the most important factors affecting the value. Very good vg shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. A terms and conditions agreement is the agreement that includes the terms, the rules and the guidelines of acceptable behavior and other useful sections to which users must agree in order to use. Books with library markings aka ex library cannot be graded higher than good. This description is, in our humble opinion, now necessary though. Booksellers always list the condition of the dust jacket after the condition of the book. Terms and conditions is a good, light holiday read with a predictable ending a book that fills in time whilst not demanding too much. We also identify any defects that a book may have when listing it in our inventory. The six key terms for talking about a book are the six planes of its rectangular prism. Basically means that the book is in poor enough condition that whatever additional things you might find wrong with it that were not mentioned in the description are not a cause for return. Original protective wrapping may be missing, but the original packaging is intact and in good condition with minor damage possible. A nontraditional book condition description that generally refers to a book in good or very good condition, although no standard exists for this term, and the word can be used to describe a wide variety of actual book conditions. Very fine is a flawless copy, perfect in every way and probably never read.