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Collecting
Condition Categories
Many booksellers will rate the condition
of their used books based on the categories below. All of the categories
apply only to books from the Three Investigators' era, the late 20th century
(the categories become more lenient for older books).
Fine -- almost "like new"
with only very minor signs of use; no discernible wear or rubbing; no fading
of the spine; no dog-eared page corners; completely intact with nothing
missing; no library markings; no bookplate
Very Good -- showing minor
rubbing at book extremities such as corners or spine; possibly very minor
soil or very minor spots on covers; possibly a bumped corner; no fraying
of spine extremities; no cracked hinges; no foxing; completely intact with
nothing missing; essentially just a little more evidence of use than a
fine copy; there may be a bookplate from a private collector; can be ex-library
with very minor library markings, but should be so described
Good -- showing average use
and wear; not all tattered and torn; spine extremities can show minor chipping;
corners can all be bumped; possibly a free endpaper, or other blank page
such as a flyleaf, can be missing; a hinge can be cracked, but the case
must still be firmly attached
Fair -- showing much use and
wear and multiple problems and/or defects; can have moderate to heavy damp-stain
and excessive stain or foxing in the text; can have a very tattered and
rubbed binding; can have underlining in the text; can lack endpapers; both
hinges can be cracked; heavy dog-earing of the page corners is permitted
Reading Copy -- a copy in
poor condition; excessive wear and/or abuse; only useful for the content
it contains; sometimes referred to as a working copy; can also have been
rebound, diminishing its monetary value
Some booksellers choose to use intermediate
categories such as "very good to fine" or "good to very good," when they
believe that such categories are warranted. "Very fine" is occasionally
used as well, but this is not a standard category and can usually be equated
with fine.
Random House Trade Hardcover titles very frequently have cracked hinges or completely separated cases, but are in otherwise very good or fine condition. Because this is a very well known tendency that can easily be repaired, this damage may often be overlooked and a particular book given a higher rating than expected.
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This page last updated on 02-Sep-03
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