How to Describe Book Condition

Whether you are buying or selling used books, understanding how booksellers describe condition is essential. A consistent vocabulary lets buyers know exactly what they are getting, and protects sellers from misunderstandings. Here is a practical guide to the terminology.

Learn the Parts of the Book First

Before you can describe a book's condition accurately, you need to know the standard terms for its physical parts — spine, boards, hinges, gutters, endpapers, text block, and so on — as well as the common types of damage. Two essential reference works are John Carter's ABC for Book Collectors and Geoffrey Ashall Glaister's Encyclopedia of the Book. The IOBA also maintains an excellent illustrated Book Terminology glossary online.

Condition Grades

The standard condition grades used by booksellers today derive from a system long established in the trade. Book and dust jacket are normally graded separately, written as book/jacket — for example, F/VG indicates a Fine book with a Very Good dust jacket.

A letter code alone is never sufficient. You must specifically describe each defect that has resulted in a grade below Fine. Vague phrases like "good for its age" or "else fine" are not acceptable — either a book is fine or it isn't.

AS NEW (AN)

Blindingly perfect. Essentially mint condition, identical to the state in which the book left the publisher. Genuinely rare — most books don't make it to a bookstore shelf in this condition.

FINE (F)

As new but allowing for the normal effects of time on an unread book that has been properly protected. No flaws of any kind.

NEAR FINE (NF)

Approaching fine but with very minor flaws — a slight dulling of gloss on the dust jacket, or slight shelfwear to lower edge of boards for example. All defects must be noted.

VERY GOOD (VG)

A used book showing some small signs of wear but no major defects. Might have a bit of wear or a short closed tear to the jacket, light shelfwear, a slightly bumped corner, a previous owner's name etc. (though it definitely won't have ALL of those flaws, that would drop it down to just GOOD condition) At first glance it will appear to be a quite nice copy. All defects must be noted.

GOOD (G)

The average secondhand book. Complete, intact, solid. It will have noticeable defects, and clear signs of wear but nothing missing and no severe problems. All defects must be noted.

FAIR

A very noticeably worn and shabby copy. Likely has tears, dampstaining, a weakened binding, or other significant problems. But it is complete. All defects must be noted.

POOR

Barely worth listing. The text may be complete and legible, but the book is severely worn. Only listed when the content itself has value and the book is otherwise unobtainable.

EX-LIBRARY (XLib)

The book has been in a library. Will have library markings of some kind. Must always be noted, regardless of the book's overall condition — it is a serious flaw and a significant factor for collectors.

BOOK CLUB (BCE)

A book club edition rather than a trade edition. Must always be noted, as book club editions are generally not collectible. Common indicators include a blind stamp on the back board, no price on the dust jacket flap, or inferior paper and binding.

A Few Don'ts

Don't say "pretty good for its age."
Don't say "else fine." Either it is or it isn't.
Don't copy another bookseller's description word for word.
Don't omit the dust jacket condition if the book was issued with one.

Beyond Condition: Bibliographic Description

Condition is the most important part of a used book description, but there is also a body of standard practice around describing the bibliographic details of a book — edition, printing, binding variants, points of issue, and so on. This is the territory of descriptive bibliography, a substantial subject in its own right.

For a practical education, read the catalogues of respected dealers and study their descriptions carefully. Two good introductory texts are Fredson Bowers' Principles of Bibliographical Description and Philip Gaskell's A New Introduction to Bibliography.