CONDITION
- The condition of a book is often a main factor in a decision to buy an old, rare, or out-of print book. It is important for both customers and booksellers to recognize that there exists a standard method of describing condition long agreed to by the vast majority of those in the book trade. Far from being arcane, these standards are rather straight forward:
- As New can only be used to describe a book that is as the same as when it was first published. There can be no fading, no blemishes, no tears, no missing pages, and the dust jacket, if there was one when the book first sold, is as perfect as the volume, with no marks, chipping or tears. Other words used to describe such condition, "immaculate", "mint", "pristine" only reinforce that the book be without any wear or defects whatsoever.
- Fine or F is very close to As New but perhaps not as bright or crisp. Only the smallest of defects to the jacket, such a small nick or two , or shelf wear should be allowed and should be noted.
- Very Good or VG can have some signs of wear , but no tears to pages, and still a solid, relatively clean (considering age, etc.) volume.And of course, the description should state all defects. ( You may also see NF for Near Fine, or VG+ which mean just what they say).
- Good or G is used for average books, with or without jacket, with usual wear and tear expected from normal reading and shelf life.
- Fair is a book that still has all the pages, although it may be missing a flyleaf or endpaper, or the cover may be worn or stained.
- Poor is, as you might expect, the bottom rung. It may be loose on its hinges, missing half its spine or very worn and soiled. It should have its text pages intact and therefore is often referred to as a Reading Copy.
- Other terms you will come across are Ex Librus or Ex-Library or Book Club or BOMC (for Book of the Month Club). These terms should be noted in the book's description; the lack thereof can justify the return of said book.
Most serious collectors of old and rare books (as opposed to jovial collectors, one supposes), eschew any book below VG , and try not to go below Fine. However, many variables come into play. A first edition of Edgar Allen Poe's first book may be acceptable to a collector in any condition whatsoever, while a Hemingway or Edgar Saltus would need to meet more stringent criteria. Some collectors buy books of lesser quality because they cannot find or afford one of better, in the hopes of upgrading some day in the future.
- How to tell if you are a collector: if you have more than two books by the same author or on the same subject on your shelf, some would call you a collector, definitely. Some folks might say if you have two books to your name, you are a collector.
Edition
No one knows when collecting the "first edition" of a book became de rigueur, perhaps from the days of incunabula. Certainly the desire to have the most original, the first and unique drives the market and cannot be denied. A collector wants a copy as close to the author's/editor's/artist's intent as possible, preferably as pristine as if it just came off the press. This explains the cult of the dustjacket as well. If it was issued with one, try to collect it with one. ( That is, if edition is an important consideration for you. If you are buying for, say, reference or only for a reading copy, you may happily disregard such considerations). Of course the price of the book may be an inhibiting factor. You may wish to buy a copy in lesser condition, a Good + copy for instance instead of a Very Good, or a Fine without a jacket, with the intention to upgrade at some future time.
BOOK SIZES
Since the early days of printed books, the size of the books were often determined by the number of times the original large sheet of paper was folded to make the page size before trimming and binding.
- 4to (Quarto) A book that is aprox. 11" to 13" tall. A sm4to (small Quarto) is sometimes referred to-- it is 10" to 11" tall. .
- 8vo (Octavo) A book that is 8" to 9" tall. A sm8vo can be considered to be 7 1/2" to 8" tall, though this begins to fall in the 12mo category.
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- 12mo (Duodecimo) A book that is 7" tall.
- 16mo (Sextodecimo) A book that 6" tall or so.
- 24mo A book that is 5" to 6" tall
- 32mo A book that is 4+" to 5" tall.
- 48mo A book that is 3" to 4" tall.
- 64mo A book that is up to 3"; tall.
- Folio A book that is 13" to 15" tall.
- Elephant Folio A book that is up to 23" tall.
- Atlas Folio A book that is 23" to 25" tall.
- Double Elephant Folio A Book that is up to 50"
tall.
There may be some variation in American and British book sizes.
MORE TERMS
Here are some abbreviations and descriptive terms you might come across. Bibliographic description has many specialized terms, anacronyms and abbreviations too numerous to be listed here. A dedicated collector will want to have good reference books like John Carter's ABC FOR BOOK COLLECTORS or Glaister's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE BOOK.
- ffep Front Free Endpaper. The first free page in the book; you will note that it is attached to the front Pastedown, the page pasted to the inside front cover for binding purposes.
- aeg all edges gilt. The page edges are gilt. If only the top edges are gilt, you might see the abbreviation teg.
- bumped or corners bumped. Someone set this book down too hard on one or more of its corners.
- foxing or foxed. Relatively light brown spotting on the pages of a book often caused by the chemical make-up of the paper itself or its sizing. Sometimes this can be heavily foxed to the point of obscuring some words of the text or lessening the enjoyment of plates, but usually it is a case of light foxing which is often considered a natural occurrence.
- scuffed marks on the covers (boards) of the book or on the dustjacket that look a lot like the scuff marks on shoes, but usually not so severe.
- wraps a softbound book, one with flexible card or paper covers. Paperbacks can be considered wraps, but not all wraps are considered paperbacks. A monograph done in a fine limited edition, for instance.
- You might also see terms like "Goldstone/Payne, c62" or "Howes L299" or "not in Zamorano". These are all references to Bibliographies, citing reference numbers. "Howes" is the author of the classic "US-iana" and "Goldstone and Payne" did a definitive Steinbeck bibliography. "Zamorano 80" is a list of what the members of the prestigious Zamorano club considered the most distinguished historical books of Californiana.
- and so on. Delving into bibliographic descriptions and bibliographic studies can be a wonderful pursuit, even a consuming passion. Many little by-ways can open you to new authors and books, stimulating topics and intellectual adventure. Happy Hunting!
