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Collecting
What to Look For
Unless the goal is to simply put together a set of reading copies (i.e. condition/quality is not terribly important), most collectors want to find books in the best condition possible. Therefore, the following is a discussion of potential trouble spots to watch out for when buying both hardcover and paperback Three Investigators books.
Cover Damage
Cover damage can take many forms, but usually revolves around worn or bent corners, worn spine edges, surface lifting, fading and scratches. Surface lifting usually occurs because a label, such as a price sticker or library ID tag, was removed incorrectly, pulling the top paper layer (with the printing) off to reveal the white layers below. This damage is very unsightly and can significantly detract from a book’s value. Scratches show up most on ex-library books, but can also be prevalent on some of the earlier Trade Hardcover printings. Fading is a result of excess exposure to the ultraviolet light found in sunlight or fluorescent lighting. It is usually found on ex-library books, with spines suffering the worst damage. In addition, the color red always fades first. For example, many ex-library copies of the Trade or GLB Edition of #10 The Mystery of the Moaning Cave have terribly faded spines. See Figure 1 for a comparison of a faded vs. normal spine for that title.
Binding Damage
Although paperback books rarely have any problems in this department, most Trade Hardcover books suffer from some degree of binding damage, usually cracked hinges or separated textblocks. This damage is inherent to the original binding adhesive and typically can’t be prevented. Therefore, copies whose hinges are presently intact may suffer damage in the future. Also, books can frequently be found with improper repairs (with the wrong adhesive, or even worse, tape). The seller may view the repair as an asset or non-issue, but in my opinion, improper repairs greatly reduce the value of a book. It’s simply better to leave the hinges alone, or if they must be repaired, use the methods like those discussed in the next section.
Page/Textblock Damage
Because we’re dealing with children’s books, writing, stickers or even food stains on the pages can be common. Make sure to flip through every page to check. Pencil marks can be removed, but ink or highlighter cannot. Also, check that the first or last few pages (flyleaves) are intact. They are occasionally missing, particularly if they contained a library card pocket (libraries frequently tend to cut out that page when discarding a book). Also look for water damage (wavy or stained pages), mold and mildew odor or stains (black or green spots) and foxing (brown spots on the pages or textblock edges). All of these things can make an otherwise wonderful copy just average.
Manufacturing Errors and Inconsistencies
Random House’s printers seem to have had a tough time correctly lining up the paper to the boards when manufacturing the covers. The result of this is spines in which the title’s text and colored bar at the top are crooked or not centered across the spine. See Figure 2 for an example. While this is not damage, and may not concern many collectors, it can make the difference between a very nice and perfect book.
Cover art color saturation can vary widely, especially near the end of a print run. Many covers may appear faded, but in reality they were simply never printed with enough ink. See Figure 3 for a comparison of the color saturation in two different Trade Hardcover printings of #1 The Secret of Terror Castle.
The hue of cover art can also vary, with some titles having more problems than others. As can be seen in Figure 4, the Trade and GLB Editions of #15 The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints can have a cover hue of anywhere from mustard-brown to an olive green, depending on when the book was printed. Again, this is not fading or any other damage, but just inconsistencies in the printing process. Which hue is correct? Both of them (they're both even First Printings); it's up to the collector to decide which one he or she prefers.
Occasionally, one can find a few other manufacturing errors. Examples are creases in the cover paper, upside down textblocks, repeating chapters, etc. All of these can detract or even add to the value of a book, depending on how the flaw is viewed by a collector.
Rebound Books
Rebound Three Investigators books
can be quite prevalent at library sales and even online. As discussed in the The Original 43: Paperback section, all eleven Recent Issue Three Investigators books were available as rebound-from-new. These books have some collectible value if still new, but unfortunately, almost all used, library circulated rebound Three Investigators books are worth next to nothing. They can, however, be very durable and inexpensive reading copies. Rebound circulated Three Investigators books are usually found in two formats:
Example 1) hardcover books that have had a new case attached with completely
new covers featuring copied cover art Example 2) paperback
books that have had their original wrapped covers removed and re-attached
as part of a new, plastic-coated hardcover binding. The latter is commonly
referred to as a "Perma-bound" book, after the company that typically provides
this service.
Rebound books can actually be fun to collect, as some are very unique. Example 3 is an interesting rebound Trade Hardcover Edition of #14 The Mystery of the Couging Dragon. As you can see, the bookbinder used the wrong cover art, not to mention a terribly clashing background color.
Beware of online auctions that list, without a picture, a Three Investigators book with a "library binding." The description may sound like a very nice GLB Edition, but many times this is simply a rebound book. This occurs frequently with the GLB Edition of numbers 29 - 43; the book in question is often a rebound paperback per Example 2. Whenever you are in doubt, always write the seller and request a picture or ask if the back of the book has the GLB symbol.
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This page last updated on 30-Aug-04
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