Condition Grading Guide
A plain-language glossary of how used-book condition is described — and how Ældern Tomes grades every listing.
How we grade
Every book in our inventory is inspected by hand, photographed from multiple angles, and graded against the five levels below. Photos are the source of truth — if a flaw is visible in the listing photos, it’s baked into the grade and the price.
We use eBay’s standard book condition grades verbatim so the two platforms stay consistent — buyers should see exactly the same definition here as they do on a listing.
The five condition grades
Brand new
The book is new, unread, and unused in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the seller's listing for full details.
Like new
The book looks new but has been read. The cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. It has no missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. It may have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover as well as very minimal wear and tear. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Very good
The book does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. There is no obvious damage to the cover, the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. There are no missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. It may have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover as well as very minimal wear and tear. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Good
The book has been read but is in good condition. It has very minimal damage to the cover, including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. The binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. There are no missing pages. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Acceptable
The book has obvious wear. It may have some damage to the cover, but its integrity is intact. The binding may be slightly damaged, but its integrity is still intact. There may be possible writing in the margins and underlining and highlighting of text, but there are no missing pages or anything that would compromise the legibility or understanding of the text. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Source: eBay’s Books & Magazines item condition reference.
Glossary of terms you’ll see in listings
- Bumped corners
- The corners of the hardcover boards are slightly dented from being dropped, shelved tightly, or handled. Cosmetic only.
- Cocked (or leaning) spine
- The book no longer stands flush when closed — the text block has shifted so the spine leans left or right. Common in thicker paperbacks and heavily-read hardcovers.
- Dust jacket (DJ)
- The removable paper cover on a hardcover book. Its condition is often graded separately from the book itself (e.g. "Very Good book in Good DJ").
- Ex-library
- Previously owned by a library. Usually carries stamps, pocket sleeves, a call number on the spine, and a plastic protective cover. Never priced as a first-edition collectible.
- Flyleaf
- The blank page at the very front of the book (attached to the inside cover). Where you’ll often find previous-owner inscriptions or bookstore stamps.
- Foxing
- The rusty-brown age spots that appear on older paper, especially on the edges of the text block. Caused by oxidation, usually from humidity. Doesn’t affect readability.
- Hinge
- The inside joint where the cover meets the text block. A "starting hinge" is beginning to crack; a "cracked hinge" is broken but the book is still held together by the binding threads.
- Price-clipped
- The corner of the dust jacket flap where the original retail price was printed has been cut off. Usually indicates the book was once given as a gift.
- Remainder mark
- A permanent marker stripe or stamp on the bottom page edges, indicating the book was sold as a publisher’s overstock. Common on 1990s–2010s hardcovers.
- Shelf wear
- Light scuffing or rubbing on the edges and corners from the book being shelved and unshelved over the years. Essentially unavoidable on any book older than a decade.
- Sunning
- Fading of the spine or cover from prolonged exposure to light. A book with a pristine front and a faded spine has been sitting face-out on a sunny shelf.
- Text block
- The pages of the book, as a unit. "Tight text block" means the pages are still firmly bound together.
Photos beat words
Every listing carries at minimum:
- A display photo (the book as it would sit on your shelf)
- Full jacket photo (front, spine, back — laid flat where possible)
- Boards (the cover under the jacket)
- Text block and spine
- Title page
- Copyright page (so you can verify edition and printing)
Notable flaws get their own photos on top of the standard set. If you want additional angles before buying — a specific page, the gutter margin, the dust jacket flaps — email contact@elderntomes.com and we’ll send more.
A note on first editions
Strictly speaking, a “first edition” is the first published version of a work — and any printing of that edition is technically still a first edition. What collectors usually mean (and what we mean in our listings unless stated otherwise) is the first printing of the first edition.
On most modern hardcovers you can identify a first printing by the number line on the copyright page — if the sequence ends in a 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1), it’s a first printing. Book club editions, even if dated the same year, are NOT first printings and are priced separately in our catalog.
Questions on a specific listing?
If anything in a listing’s condition description isn’t clear, email contact@elderntomes.com before buying. We’d rather answer five questions than process one return.