Used Books - Guide to Bookseller Conditions

Guides

Common Bookseller Terms to describe Used Book's Conditions

Used Books are sold by booksellers using different terms for the "condition" , however these terms don't always reflect what the casual book buyer would expect

Booksellers tend to use 6 common terms;

• (P) - Poor - is a book that's in a state of real disrepair - it's *probably* readable (technically a bookseller should classify the books as below poor if the text isn't readable and it's not complete, however for some rare books poor may mean that pages are missing or are too badly damaged to read)
• (F) - Fair - has significant wear and tear from being used. All (useful) text is legible and complete (i.e. it has all the pages and associated documents - maps, pull-outs, and illustrations etc.). It may be missing the end-papers (the pages at the very start and end of the book) and the title page.
• (G) - Good - is readable and complete but has wear and tear. Your opinion of "Good" probably doesn't match the booksellers definition..
• (VG) - Very Good - A book that is worn but without tears and is complete. This is the condition that most typical people would use the term "Good" for.
• (F) or (FN) - Fine - Will show no damage but can show signs of age (yellowing, sunlight exposure and fading, and/or occasional "foxing"). Fine is the minimum standard that the Ewelike programmers consider to be of a "collector's standard". NB: note there is "Near Fine" which is somewhere between Fine and Very Good)
• As New / Mint - A book in a condition as it was when new

Other Useful Terms

• Foxing - The process of mould growing on pages causing discolouration on old books and papers (see The Wikipedia article on Foxing of Old Books and Documents). For books of a certain age it is almost certain that Foxing will occur.
• Discolouration - exposure to Sunlight will cause discolouration of the book's surface or pages (either yellowing or lightening of the colour - typically impacting some areas more than others)
• Dust Jacket - A protective covering of Hardback books that prevents discolouration of hardback book hardcovers
• Slipcase - an alternative to the Dust Jacket favoured by some quality book publishers (for example see our pages for buying on Used Folio Society Books with are commonly covered in Slipcases to prevent damage and discolouration)