How to Find the Value of Old

Books
BY DAVE ROOS

Determining Book Condition

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Grading the physical condition of an old book is an extremely subjective process

usually left to professional book appraisers. Professional appraisers have
examined thousands of books and have the experience to weigh the dozens of
subtle criteria that differentiate "fine" from "very good." But if you want to get a
rough idea of your book's condition -- and its relative value on the rare book
market -- here are the basics.

The highest grade for a book's physical condition is "as new." This is a book that
hasn't even been opened. It's been stored in impeccable conditions and shows
absolutely no signs of wear or use. Note that bibliophiles don't like to use the
word "mint," since serious collectors reserve the term for grading money, not
books [source: Pappas].

A book in "fine" condition is complete and shows little to no wear. For some
booksellers, a grading of "fine" equals "handled, but flawless" [source: Gozdecki].
Be careful, though: The overuse of the term "fine" in online bookselling circles
has caused some grumbling.

Many "fine" books would more accurately qualify as "very good," which means a
complete book with very minor defects. "Good" describes the average condition
of an older book -- some signs of wear and minor damage, perhaps to the dust
jacket.
 A book is deemed "fair" if it's complete, but the damage to the dust jacket or
edges of the pages is more evident. The lowest grade for an old book is "poor" or
"reading copy." This is a book with significant damage that would only be worth
selling if it includes rare signatures, inscriptions or was owned by a famous
person. Lacking any special circumstances, any book missing pages is worthless
[source: RBMS].

Here are some common terms used to describe the condition of old books:

 Bookworm damage -- A problem in only the very earliest books; moths or

larvae burrow through pages and bindings
 Dampstain -- A tan or gray stain due to water damage. It doesn't lower the
value of otherwise rare books.
 Foxing -- Certain older types of printing paper include impurities like iron
that can oxidize under humid conditions and leave rusty brown stains.
 Inscription --A handwritten, signed note from the author or another
famous person. If the inscription designates the book as a gift, then it's called a
"presentation inscription."
 Rebound --If the original binding is damaged, an old book may be re-
sewn into a new binding. In most cases, this lowers the value of the book
considerably.
 Started -- Refers to sections of bound pages (called signatures)
beginning to pull away from the binding
 Shaken -- Refers to signatures that have pulled loose from the binding