How to grade a book

OneToRemember — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:11:05 +0000

Technical Terms and Descriptions

Internationally Accepted Definitions

Very Fine or Mint – VF or M

Using very fine or mint, they mean the same, is something to be done with care.
These terms are relatively new and not accepted by some dealers and collectors, mainly in the antiquarian area. This description is, in our humble opinion, now necessary though. There has been a huge rise in the collectability of ultra-moderns or hyper-moderns and condition is even more critical in this area than others. Collectors are VERY particular.

The book and jacket have to be absolutely pristine with no faults at all, however minor. Many brand new books in bookshops do not live up to this grade, so it is not to be confused with ‘as new’

Fine – F

To qualify as a fine copy it should be free from obvious faults. That is not to say absolutely perfect. It can show minor signs of age and ownership. The book should be clean, tightly bound and square. The dust jacket should be free from loss or tears and any real faults or blemishes. This grade carries a little age related room, it does allow for some loss of freshness and commonsense in relation to the books age. It is acceptable to have a previous owners name, though this should always be noted in the description.
There is also a legitimate intermediate grade of ‘near fine’ this would denote a copy that does not quite meet the exacting standards but must still be a very nice copy. Sometimes used as a safety net b y cautious dealers.

Very Good – VG

Very good is a fairly broad term and more difficult to describe. Because of this many dealers employ sub-grades such as VG+ or VG-. Basically it covers a condition that one might expect to find second-hand books in. That is to say, books have been clearly read and handled, dustwrappers may show loss, tears and wear. Fault should be mentioned separately such as inscription stamps, chipping and tears to the wrapper. Despite displaying some faults the item should still qualify as a collectable copy to qualify for this grading

Good – G

Good is a somewhat misleading term and has done much to cloud the defining of book condition. Basically it means bad ! There can be some fairly major faults with both book or jacket. Once again we would recommend mentioning these individually. Unless a book is very rare, and or expensive, good only copies should be avoided by collectors

Poor – P

Poor is basically a train wreck of a copy, expectations should be very low if buying such a copy. This term allows for just about anything it seems, major faults, mark, soiling, even on the verge of being disbound

Some Other Points

Reading Copy
A copy that is flawed and is generally not suitable for a collector but is more suited to someone looking for a copy simply to read

Price Clipped-Clipping
There is no need to down grade the condition of a jacket if the price has been clipped from it. However it MUST always be mentioned

Names, Inscriptions, Stamps or Remainder Marks
These flaws should be mentioned without exception

Ex Library
Copies that have been in public libraries are very common, this should always be declared as should a description or stamps, pockets, missing endpapers or a library binding

How to identify a first edition

OneToRemember — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:04:16 +0000

Date
The publication date is the natural starting point when when it comes to appraising your book. Generally speaking you should not see dates other than the original publication date.
You may see two dates such as a copyright date and a ‘First Published’ date and these can differ slightly though not usually by more than a year. You may also see a different date referring to publication in another country, these are not necessarily problematic.

Printing Statement
Most publishers are helpful when it comes this and clearly state: ‘Second Edition’ – ‘Third Impression’ ‘Reprinted in…’ etc etc. Clearly any mention of these terms indicates a reprint. However things are often not so easy and a book can clearly state ‘first edition’ or ‘first printed’ without mention of another edition or date and still be a reprint.
Publishers often reprinted using the same plates as the first, sometimes for years afterwards.

Undated Books
If a book shows no dates at all then the balance of probability suggests it more likely to be a later edition. However, as usual, there are many exceptions. Specialised bibliographies would need to be consulted before any final decision can be made. A very useful resource in recent years is the online access to the world’s reference libraries which will supply you with a publication date, and in many cases indicate whether or not that book was dated or not.

Printers Key – Number Line
A relatively new method of indicating edition status has been adopted by many publishers, that being the printers key, often referred to as the number line. This method shows a line of numbers on the copyright page, usually between 10 and 1. The sequence of the numbers varies between publishers but the basic principal remains the same (apart from a few exceptions) a first issue-edition-impression requires the presence of the number 1.For example 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 indicates a first printing. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 would indicate a second printing and so forth.

Dust Wrappers – Jackets
To make life yet more difficult as well as ascertaining that status of your book you also need to do the same for the dustwrapper or jacket. As mentioned previously reprints can appear the same as firsts with differences shown only on the dw. Always check for reviews or for titles post dating the book. The published price can often be an issue when it comes to later or so called cheap editions. There are genuine issue points on some jackets that determine the printing of the book but the biggest potential problem is when later state wrappers find their way onto first edition books. This can usually be determined by rudimentary checks though specialised bibliographies may need to be consulted

Book Club Editions
Book club editions are a source of great confusion to many and are regularly mis-sold as first editions, usually out of ignorance but occasionally not ! For collectors of UK first editions this is less of a problem than it is for collectors of American editions. UK book clubs are usually clearly stated as such, there is an absence of original publisher logos, unpriced jackets etc. Very often the books are much smaller in size or indeed a completely different format.
Things are very much more complex when it comes to American firsts when a book may appear exactly the same as a first to the uninitiated. The complexities and variations are so great that it goes well beyond the scope of this article to give a definitive guide. There are some excellent publications however that can aid the collector with specific issue points and we would recommend referring to them. The other safeguard is to buy from an established and reputable dealer who can eliminate these concerns.

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