Every book listed on our site has a photograph of the actual book (no generic scans here!), which is an invaluable guide to determining the condition of a book.

In addition to the photographs, you will find grading and size descriptions. These descriptions are a quick and easy way to advise you of answers to the simple questions about any book, such as:

"How big is it?"        "What type of book is it?"       "What condition is it in?"        "How old is it?"       "How many pages does it have?"

Answers to all these questions can be found in the grading and size descriptions.

What does it all mean? Here follows a guide to deciphering the gradings.

If you have any questions, or require a more detailed description, please don't hesitate to ask via the "Contact Us" page.

Sizing of books:

	Paperback sizes	Hardback Sizes
Small	Up to 18cm x 11cm	Up to 19cm x 13cm
Medium	Up to 20cm x 13cm	Up to 24cm x 19cm
Large	Over 20cm x 13cm	Over 24cm x 19cm

Types of books:

Paperback – Paperback / Softcover book

Hardback – Hardback / Hardcover book, usually with a dust jacket. If no dust jacket is present, this will be stated

Cardbook – Card Book (usually childrens) with hard cardboard pages 

Bath Book -  Waterproof book, usually plastic, mainly for children

Condition of books:

As New - Book has never been read and has no noticeable flaws. Some books of this grade may actually be new, such as ex-printer stock, bookstore surplus stock or unwanted gifts.

Near New - Book is without noticeable flaws other than minor indications of having been read once.

Very Good - Book has been read but is still in very good condition, may show slight scuffing, markings or discolouration.

Good - Book is intact and clean but may show signs of wear and handling, especially on the spine. Book may also have minor markings, small signs of ageing and/or light tanning of page edges.

Fair - All pages are intact but book shows signs of age or shelf wear, may also contain markings, stains, page tanning or minor damage and discolouration which does not impede or obscure text.

Reading Copy - Book is a reading copy only, may have spine breakage, tearing, signs of age, markings, stains, tanned pages or other damage but no pages are missing and text is not obscured.

 

Please note: A book's condition can be subjected somewhat to opinion, but we try to be honest and accurate in all our descriptions.

A book marked "Reading Copy" could still be considered to be in reasonable condition as we usually do not offer overly shabby, damaged or worn books unless rare or desirable, or we feel the book is interesting enough to warrant listing despite its condition. Generally the price will be relative to the condition.

If the book has a dust jacket in different condition to the book this will be noted.

The + sign alongside the condition indicates a book's grading is better than the condition indicated, but not good enough to qualify for the superior condition above it. For example, "Good+" means the book is in better than "Good" condition, but it's standard is not high enough to be graded as "Very Good".

Also please note a book's condition may be relative to its age.

Other terms (if applicable):

Ex Library Book - Book has library markings, stamps, stickers and/or other inclusions, and is usually covered in clear contact or plastic (but may not be).

Previous Owner’s Markings - Book has names, messages, notes or sketchings written, drawn or stamped inside.

Page Clipped - Book has first page corner cut off diagonally (not by us!). The most usual reason for this is removal of a previous price tag.

Uncorrected Proof - This is a copy provided by the printer to the author and/or copy editor to check for errors, and also for promotional distribution in some cases. As such it may contain spelling or grammar discrepancies. Whilst not originally offered for sale, in some cases either the rarity of the proof itself or extreme popularity of the finished work can make an uncorrected proof of interest to collectors.

Signed by Author - The book bears an inscription and / or signature by the author, usually on the title page.

 

Year of printing:

All descriptions will include the year of printing, if known. In most cases this will be the year the edition listed was printed or re-printed (as the case may be), not the year it was first printed or copyrighted.

In books where no print date is evident this will be stated.

Number of pages:

Most descriptions will include the number of readable pages a book contains, but this may not be an accurate depiction of the actual number of pages.

Many books contain blank pages near the beginning and/or end, may not be numbered to the last page or may not have the numbering printed accurately so please treat this as a guide only.

ISBN

The International Standard Book Number, which is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. This will be shown if the book has one (not all do).  Anything printed prior to 1966 will not have an ISBN.

Once again, if you have any questions, or require a more detailed description, please don't hesitate to ask via the "Contact Us" page.