Terms/Definitions

Terms We Use to Describe The Condition of our Books

The condition of a book is usually in the form of VG/VG, Fine/Good, etc. The first part is the condition of the book, the second is the condition of the dust jacket.

Very Fine (VF)

The highest grade given to any copy, very fine is a term that describes a crisp fresh copy and it admits no flaws. Any copy with even a minor blemish must not be graded very fine; therefore, there is no "else very fine" grade. Please note that some sellers use the terms "mint" or "as new" in place of "very fine." While we feel that "very fine" is more precise, there is nothing improper in the use of those terms in description.

Fine (F)

A copy that is without visible flaws, but one that may lack the pristine crispness of a very fine copy. Many antiquarian dealers quite properly never give a book a grade higher than fine. A book that is graded "fine" has had excellent and loving care. Any minor blemish in the book or the dust wrapper must be noted in the description.

Very Good (VG)

The most common grade given to a collectible copy, very good means exactly what it says. A very good copy is no longer fresh; it has been handled and shows some signs of wear, but it is still sound and appealing. Flaws such as ownership signatures, bookplates and remainder marks must be noted in the description, along with rubbing, chips and tears, and price-clipping in dust wrappers, where applicable.

Book Grading Terms & Definitions

Definitions of terms we use in our descriptions:

Advanced Reading Copy - A copy for reviewers and/or booksellers, usually bound in paperwraps and usually with either the finished cover art or possibly trial cover art. Generally, this copy is at it will appear in the stores and differs from the Uncorrected Proof.

Boards - The stiff binding material for most modern books.

Book Club Edition (BCE) - A book usually printed especially for a book club such as "The “Book of the Month Club" or "The Literary Guild." These copies will usually have the words "Book Club Edition" printed on the bottom right corner of the front flap of the dustwrapper. Occasionally, if the book club does not wish to do a separate edition they will have a publisher blind stamp the rear board and print a supply of dustwrappers without a price on the front flap and now without the bar code data on the rear panel. Book Clubs are not solely an American phenomenon as there have been numerous British Book Clubs over the years.

Bookplate - A pasted-in sign of ownership. Modern bookplates are pressure sensitive (peel-and-stick) as opposed to the older bookplates which were made with water-activated adhesive (lick-and-stick). Some bookplates from the last century were quite elaborate with engravings.

Book Label - A label indicating the ownership of a book. Generally smaller than a Bookplate.

Bumped - Mild curving or bending seen at corners, edges and spine ends when bumped with use.

Chipped - Used to describe where small pieces are missing or where fraying has occurred on a dust jacket or the edge of a paperback.

Cocked - Also shelf-cocked. A condition resulting from storing a book on a shelf so that it leans and rests against its neighbor or the side of a bookcase. Gravity deforms the book binding. Cocked also refers to a book in which the spine no longer remains at right angles to the covers.

Corners - The right angles on the unbound edges of the front and back covers of a hardcover book.

Dampstained - A light stain on the cover or on the leaves of a book caused by moisture such as a piece of food or perspiration. Generally not as severe as waterstains.

Darkening - When book covers are exposed to light, the colour darkens or becomes more intense. See also Fading.

Decorative Stamped Binding - A highly detailed impression stamped into the cover and/or spine of a book.

Dust Jacket - A term synonymous with Dust Wrapper, indicating the usually decorative paper wrapper placed around a book to protect the binding.

Edges - The outer surfaces of the leaves of a book.

Edgeworn - Wear along the edges of hardback book covers.

End Papers - The sheets of paper pasted onto the inner covers, joining the book block to the covers. One side of the sheet is pasted to the inside cover, the other is left free.

Ex-Library - A term used to indicate a book was once in a library. They are usually identified with one or more markings of the library such as stampings, card pockets, cataloging numbers, etc. Frequently they are marked as "discarded" or "withdrawn" when sold by a library.

First Edition - Generally used by book dealers and collectors to mean the first appearance of a work in book or pamphlet form, in its first printing.

Flyleaf- A blank leaf, sometimes more than one, following the front free endpaper, or at the end of a book where there is not sufficient text to fill out the last few pages.

Fore Edge - The trimmed edge of the leaves of a book; the edge of the page opposite the spine, bound or back edge of the book.

Foxed, Foxing - Brown spotting of the paper caused by a chemical reaction, generally found in 19th century books, particularly in steel engravings of the period.

Front Free End Paper— see end papers

Frontis, Frontispiece - An illustration at the beginning of a book, usually facing the title page

Gathering - A group of sheets folded together for sewing or gluing into the binding.

Illustrated - Decorated with pictures or other graphical material to portray or clarify the text.

Inscribed - Usually indicates a book signed by the author or another individual, either with an inscription to a specific person or bearing some brief notation along with his signature.

Joint - The exterior junction of the covers and spine of a book.

Mass-Market Paperback - The most common paperback book, about four inches wide and seven inches high. Seen most often as mystery, science fiction and romance books. See also Trade Paperback.

Paste-Down - The portion of the end-paper pasted to the inner cover of a book.

Price Clipped - The price has been clipped from the corner of the dust jacket.

Publication Date - The date a book is formally placed on sale.

Remainder Marks - The publisher will mark the bottom edges of books sold as remainders with a stamp, or a black marker.

Signed - A book which the author has autographed. See Inscribed

Signature - In bookmaking, this does not mean the author's name written out in his hand. It refers rather to the group of pages produced by folding a single printed sheet, ready for sewing or gluing into a book.

Tight - The binding of a new book is very tight; that is, the book will not open easily and generally does not want to remain open to any given page. As the book is used, the binding becomes looser until a well-used book may lay flat and remain open to any page in the book.

Title Page - The title page, near the beginning of the book, lists the title and subtitle of the book, the authors, editors, and/or contributors, the publisher or printer, and sometimes the place and date of publication. The title page information should be used for cataloguing (not the half-title page or covers).

Top Edge Gilt - Usually abbreviated teg, it means that the top edges of the pages have been covered with gold leaf or gilt material.

Trade Paperback - A soft cover book which is generally large in size and made of better quality materials than a Mass-Market Paperback.

Toned -this term is used to refer to paper that has turned brownish. Toning can be caused in a number of ways; most commonly, it is caused by a faint acid residue acting on the paper of the print, over a period of time.

Waterstain - Stain on a book cover or leaves from water or other liquids. May cause discoloration and perhaps actual shrinking.

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Good (G)

To quote one of our favorite booksellers, "Good ain't good." Good is the lowest grade given to a collectible copy. The book has been used and abused, but it is whole. There may be one major flaw, like dampstaining or a cracked hinge, that keeps it from a higher grade, or there may be an accumulation of minor problems. A dust wrapper may have some design elements lost, but it must not be fragmentary. A term used for a copy hovering on the brink of uncollectibility is "fair" for a weak "good."

Within the general descriptions above there is latitude for individual differences in grading standards.

Please note that except for the very fine condition, we may use steps in between grades, such as "near fine," "very good plus" or "very good minus."