Describing Book Condition     Care of Books     Is it Collectable?    

       Describing Book Condition

In 1949, AB Bookman's Weekly first proposed to adopt a set of terms that would serve as a Grading Standard for the antiquarian book trade. These terms have been widely adopted as industry standards since then. Unfortunately, due to financial problems, AB Bookman is no longer in existence, however, the Grading Standards that were set remain and are endorsed by the International Book Collectors Association (IBCA), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). They assume that you are describing both the book and the jacket in a single grade.

Dateline: 03/24/2004  Fortunately, "We have successfully revived AB Bookman at http://abbookman.com/. If you are a bookseller, we invite you to join us in shaping AB Bookman into the best bookseller’s tool on the internet by joining us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bsanon/ In the meantime, Sangraal, Inc. has the license for any and all AB Bookman intellectual property, and we would appreciate a simple link back to AB Bookman ( http://abbookman.com/ ) on our condition guidelines.

As New - is to be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. There can be no defects, no missing pages, no library stamps, etc., and the dust jacket (if it was issued with one) must be perfect, without any tears. (The term As New is preferred over the alternative term Mint to describe a copy that is perfect in every respect, including jacket.

Fine - approaches the condition of As New, but without being crisp. For the use of the term Fine there must also be no defects, etc., and if the jacket has a small tear, or other defect, or looks worn, this should be noted.)

Very Good - can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or paper. Any defects must be noted.

Good - describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted.

Fair - is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack end papers, half-title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc. may also be worn. All defects must be noted.

Poor - describes a book that is sufficiently worn that its only merit is as a Reading Copy because it does have the complete text, which must be legible. Any missing maps or plates should still be noted. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc.

Ex-library - copies must always be designated as such no matter what the condition of the book.

Book Club - editions must always be noted as such no matter what the condition of the book.

Binding Copy - describes a book in which the pages or leaves are perfect but the binding is very bad, loose, off, or nonexistent.

Dust jacket - in all cases, the lack of a dust jacket should be noted if the book was issued with one.

These terms may be arbitrary, but whatever terms are employed, they may be useless or misleading unless both buyer and seller agree on what they mean in actually describing the book.

When in doubt, describe the book exactly as it is, as to physical condition, textual reading, and edition.

Always bear in mind that a bookseller's reputation and credibility are his most valuable assets, and accurate description preserves that credibility.

The IBCA discourages the practice of elevating a book's condition from its actual physical appearance based on age. We realize that a given old book is in great shape for its age, but its physical condition is still just that, and description of condition should follow the standards given above.

XLib - Ex-library - copies must always be designated as such no matter what the condition of the book.

Book Club - editions must always be noted as such no matter what the condition of the book.

Binding Copy - describes a book in which the pages or leaves are perfect but the binding is very bad, loose, off, or nonexistent.

Dust jacket - in all cases, the lack of a dust jacket should be noted if the book was issued with one.

These terms may be arbitrary, but whatever terms are employed, they may be useless or misleading unless both buyer and seller agree on what they mean in actually describing the book. When in doubt, describe the book exactly as it is, as to physical condition, textual reading, and edition.

Note:  The IBCA discourages the practice of elevating a book's condition from its actual physical appearance based on age. Even if a given old book is in great shape for its age, but its physical condition is still just that, and description of condition should follow the standards given above.

    Care of Books

Don't write in your books. If you already have put your name in them, accept this and deal with it. Don't scribble it out with a pen or marker or white out - this is worse still. If for any reason you have a need to put your name in a book, do it in pencil.

Shelving - Place books vertically on shelves that have more height and depth than you need, so that only one edge of the book needs to be in contact with the shelf. Very large books should be placed horizontally. Shelves without back boards are better, they give the air more chance to circulate. The best places for shelves are away from sunlight, warmth and moisture, which rules out much of the house, and means definitely not the garage or basement. A few whole cloves in the corners of bookshelves will prevent mildew. A dark room, that is cool and dry will be best (did I just describe a library?)

Storing - The best place is on a shelf. If you are out of room, use boxes. In boxes they should be upright, as if they are on shelves. You may have noticed over stocked used book stores doing this. Do not stack the boxes! If you need more space efficiency, lay the books down flat, but make sure that their spines are square and not twisted. Do not wrap books with newspaper - it is very acidic.

Dust Jacket Protectors - Use them. These are the clear plastic covers that public libraries use - and they know what they are doing. Do not seal the actual books with plastic, for mold could develop.

Critters - Bugs and rodents love books. The worst offenders include cockroaches, silverfish, mice and termites. The ideal room (dry, dark and cool) will naturally have less critters, and even less again if it is kept clean. Any bug remedy (spray, powder) will harm books, so cover them and be careful.

Cleaning - Give them a wipe every year or so. Use a feather duster. Image a movie from the 1940's. Imagine a mansion, and in that mansion, in the library, a maid in a black and white outfit is cleaning. Be that maid.

Removing odors - Place the book in a bag of crumpled newspapers overnight. The newspaper will absorb the musty odor. Otherwise, you can try pouring a few inches of cat litter or baking soda or charcoal into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. In a smaller container place the offending book. Do not put a lid on the smaller container. Place the smaller container into the larger container. Put a lid on the larger container. Books may be left in the container for up to one month.

Reading - Be gentle. Have clean hands. Don't eat at the same time. Don't lick your fingers to turn pages - that's disgusting, as well as acidic. If you use bookmarks, use thin ones.

    Is it Collectable?

Not Generally Collectible - - The vast majority of books, especially paperbacks, book club editions and mass printings of hardcovers. The latest Stephen King horror novel is, by definition of its popularity, not a collectible. Also (in general!) most encyclopedias, textbooks, dictionaries, popular fiction without dust jackets, Reader's Digest condensed books, romance, magazines after 1960, "family bibles" and non-illustrated Bibles (after 1790) are not collectable.

Condition - The lesser the condition, the less collectible and valuable it will be.

Prize Winners - Prize-winning books have been voted as the best books in a given field. This gives them a stamp of quality. The first edition (which came out before the awards were decided) will not have Blah Blah Award Winner on the cover. Well known prizes include: Pulitzer, National Book Award, PEN/Faulkner, Hugo or Nebula (sci-fi) and the Booker Prize (British).

Age - An old book isn't necessarily valuable. However there are some rough guidelines that indicate when a book might be worth something:

All books printed before 1501:  -   English books printed before 1641
American books printed before 1801:  -   American books (west of the Mississippi) printed before 1850

First Edition - Most books are only ever printed as a first edition, and most of those only have one print run. With books that have muliple editions, the first edition will usually be the most valuable. First editions usually say "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the page after the title page. A second edition will contain different content to the first edition. Different printings of the same edition will usually be exact replicas, except for the print date. Check dates to be sure of a first printing of a first edition.

First Books - - These can be obscure tomes that just didn't sell, yet gained curiousity value when the author's subsequent books did do well. The combination of a small print run and future fame of the author can make these books especially valuable.

Collections - Single volumes of sets or incomplete sets are not usually worth much.

Limited Editions - Sometimes, a book will have a deliberately small print run, usually less than 1500 copies. They are better than regular editions. They are often signed by the author.

Signed - Of course any book signed by the author is more valuable than one that isn't. Understand though, that signatures can be forged, and that the signature of a notoriously reclusive writer will be worth more than one who does in-store book-signings every other day. If the book is Inscribed with a hand-written note by the author it becomes more collectable. If the note is addressed to another famous person, it will be extremely collectable.