Terminology we use to describe conditions and other aspects of books
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Terminology we use to describe conditions and other aspects of books |
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Biopredation: An attack to books and printed matter by living matter. This term is also used to describe mildew but is normally damage caused by insects eating or tunneling through cover and pages. In Australia the most common biopredation is caused by roaches eating the edges off hard cover books.
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Deckle Edged: uneven, uncut edges of paper; was common on books printed on hand made-paper but became popular in the latter part of the 20th century again, particularly on first editions of popular authors. |
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First Edition: The first edition of a book is just that - the first edition of the book. In other words the first printing run of the book. First editions are regarded as more valuable that later editions and have been collected for centuries. Less than a century ago there was a very logical reason behind it: Printing presses used lead dies or plates which tended to wear reasonably fast. The first edition or printing run was therefore the clearest and most sought after those who wanted to collect the book. Today, with modern printing methods, this is no longer the case - but by now it is a firmly entrenched concept with collectors so the practice continues. However, modern printing methods have added a further complication by making it possible to have several first editions. Because of the cost of freight and the associated cost of importation, many publishers started distributing their printing runs internationally. That means that, for example, a book could be distributed by say HarperCollins to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa by printing/publishing it through their subsidiaries in each of those countries. If it is a first edition that then means that there are six different first editions. |
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Foxed: Beige to brown spots of almost any size due to a variety of causes ranging from being stored in a humid area to acids or impurities in the paper. Often erroneously referred to as age spots these tend to become progressively worse with time but I have seen foxed books that are not even a year old. In the overwhelming majority of cases these marks do not affect the readability of the book, and are restricted to endplates and adjacent pages, but if you are an investing collector (a collector that collects books because of their potential value) you may not want to buy such books unless it is the only available copy at the time. The only time that I would offer a heavily foxed book for sale is if I suspect that it is rare, valuable and there are no other copies out there that are in much better shape.
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Toned (Also called "Tanning" or "Tanned"): Toning describes discolouration of pages due to oxidation of the paper of the book. This can be caused by poor storage conditions but is far more likely to be as a result of poor quality, cheap paper (mass market paperbacks are most prone to toning). Sometimes this discolouration is only near the edges of the paper more exposed to air creating almost a border or frame around the print. Mild toning does not affect the value of the book by much as most people do not object to a slight beige tint to the pages but severely toned pages could become coffee coloured which affects the readability of the book and makes the book almost valueless. I do not sell heavily toned books unless i am reasonably certain that they are rare and there are no better books available.
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Trade Paperback Approximately 23.4cm tall by 15.3cm wide, trade paperbacks are increasingly replacing more traditional hardcover books to the extent that in many cases even the first edition of a book will be a trade paperback. |
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Uncorrected Proof/Advance Reading Copy: Possibly the closest you will get to the original manuscript. These copies are printed in very limited quantities and are circulated for proof reading and marketing purposes. They are rarely identical to the final/commercial editions - changes range from corrections of grammar and spelling to more substantial revisions sometimes even including rewrites of one or more chapters. Uncorrected proofs are almost always labeled "Not for resale" and are often bound in plain covers. Uncorrected proofs and advance reading copies are collectible books and, depending on their age and the author, will often be far more valuable than the first edition of the book. It is very unlikely that more than 200 are printed (with very popular authors it could be as high as 500, which are then used for publicity and marketing purposes too). However, seeing that most popular books are now printed simultaneously in many countries to avoid freight and importation cost, a single book may have several first editions (one for each country), which tends to devalue the first edition runs. It is very unlikely that there will ever be more than one uncorrected proof or advance reading run. A first edition run could be as many as 100,000 books (in the case of
the later Harry Potter books first editions exceeded a million) - not
exactly rare. Compare that to a run of less than 500. Which has more
collectible value? |
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