Condition guide
Every copy is graded by hand before it goes online, against the checklist below. If a copy sits between two grades, it gets the lower one.
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New
Unread and unmarked — indistinguishable from a shop-new copy.
What you may find
- No reading wear of any kind; binding uncracked
- Dust jacket present and unclipped, if the edition was issued with one
- A remainder mark on the page edges is allowed and will be noted
What you will not
- Any highlighting, underlining or margin notes
- Any inscription, name or bookplate
- Creased spine, bumped corners or shelf rubbing
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Like New
Read once at most, and you would not be able to tell.
What you may find
- Square, tight binding with no spine crease
- Clean, unmarked text throughout
- Dust jacket present with at most the faintest edge wear
What you will not
- Any highlighting, underlining or margin notes
- Owner name, gift inscription or bookplate
- Sunned spine, water exposure or dog-eared pages
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Very Good
Clearly read but well kept, with no marks in the text.
What you may find
- Light shelf wear: softened corners, faint edge rubbing
- A soft spine crease from reading
- Small price sticker or its residue on the cover
- A previous owner name on the flyleaf only — never in the text
What you will not
- Highlighting or underlining anywhere in the text
- Margin notes or study annotation
- Loose or cracked hinges, missing pages, water staining
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Good
An honest working copy with visible wear and possibly light marking.
What you may find
- Occasional underlining or highlighting — noted on the listing when present
- A previous owner name, gift inscription or bookplate
- Sunned or creased spine, bumped corners, rubbed dust jacket
- Tanned page edges or light foxing
What you will not
- Heavy annotation on most pages
- Missing or torn-out pages
- Broken binding, or pages coming loose from the block
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Acceptable
It has had a life. Complete and readable, priced to match.
What you may find
- Heavy highlighting or margin notes throughout
- Taped hinge or reinforced spine
- Ex-library copy with stamps, pocket and labels
- Water staining, cocked spine, or a missing dust jacket
What you will not
- Missing pages or text made unreadable
- Mould, odour or active damage
- Anything we would not send to a friend
Copy notes beat grades
A grade is a summary. Where a copy has something specific worth knowing — an inscription, a water stain, highlighting in one chapter — we write it on that copy's line on the book's page, and photograph it. Read the note before you buy; it is more precise than the grade above it.
If a book turns up in worse shape than described, that is on us: see the return policy.