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| BASIC INFORMATION We choose the books we offer by their quality, interest, and value. We make every effort to accurately and honestly rate and describe them. This is especially important because you are unable to hold a book in your hands when shopping online and must rely on the integrity of the bookseller to give you as accurate a picture as possible of the book you're interested in. We do not use any "official" used-book rating system. Rather, we use our common sense and good judgment based on several years of book selling. Please understand that this rating system is our own and may not correspond to any other sellers' or "official" rating system. In the book inventory lists, you'll see these seven ratings:
Very Good Very Good Minus Good Poor Hardcover books are rated separately from their dust jackets. The inventory lists will have separate columns for the book and dust jacket. The book's rating is always listed first. When applying ratings, we take into account the balance between the overall appearance of the book or dust jacket and the degree of its flaws. There will be instances where there are only one or two particularly noticeable flaws but otherwise the book or dust jacket looks quite nice. In those instances we determine how bad the particularly noticeable flaws are compared to any other slighter flaws the book or dust jacket might have. As a general rule we try not to use pretentious "book industry" terminology or abbreviations. Using what amounts to a foreign language to describe a book is pointless if the reader is unfamiliar with it; it will tell them nothing useful. If we must use it in the following explanations, we'll try to provide a "translation" along with the word or phrase. Over time, several people have had the task of rating our books. As a result, you may see some ratings which aren't entirely accurate, using the guidelines below, or which do contain "book industry" terminology and/or abbreviations. We are in the process of looking for and correcting these errors. If you happen to find one, please drop us a note at info@treasureislandbooks.net and let us know; we'll appreciate your help! NEW The only way we will deem a book as new is when it is still in its original shrink wrap as received from the publisher. (Not all books are shrink-wrapped by the publisher.) We feel it is neither fair to potential customers nor honest for a used-book dealer to state a book is "new" otherwise. Unless the book has points of particular interest such as an index, there will seldom be a description for a book with a "new" rating beyond stating it is in its original shrink wrap; it speaks for itself. Please note: Some booksellers identify "New" as "Fine" in their descriptions. NEAR FINE "Near Fine" books may be new but will have a minimum of flaws. They may have been gently handled. These books may also have been signed by the author, etc. or have slight flaws such as very slight rubbing to the cover, a price sticker, or the previous owner's name written neatly in ink unobtrusively on an inside page other than the title page or text pages. If there are several flaws of this type, the book will not be rated as near fine but, rather, as very good plus. These books will not have any creases, either on the spine or elsewhere. Unless the book has points of particular interest such as an index, there will seldom be a description for a book with a "Near Fine" rating; it speaks for itself. Please note: Some booksellers identify "Near Fine" as "Fine" or "As New" in their descriptions. VERY GOOD PLUS Books rated "Very Good Plus" may appear to be in "Near Fine" condition but, upon closer inspection, may have additional flaws such as slight rubbing to the cover, slight edge and/or corner wear, one or two light creases to the spine, or the previous owner's name written neatly on an inside page. If a "Very Good Plus"-rated book or dust jacket has any other light creasing, it may be where it doesn't particularly detract from the overall appearance. For example, if it is a paperback, the spine may be creased only a few times or less. The printing on the covers and spine will be crisp and bright. The spine may be slightly sunned (faded). Usually we will state "very little reader or shelf wear" and/or "very little edge or corner wear" when describing these books and dust jackets. Please note: Some booksellers identify "Very Good Plus" as "Fine" in their descriptions. VERY GOOD "Very Good" equals average. The book has clearly been read, there may be several creases to the spine and/or elsewhere, and the edge and corner wear may be a bit more obvious. The previous owner may have written their name inside the book or unobtrusively somewhere on the cover. These books will lie flat and squared if paperbacks or, if hardcovers, their spines will usually be straight or very slightly cocked (leaning either to the right or the left). If a paperback, one or both covers may be slightly curled at the outside edge due to thumbing. The printing on the covers and spine may not be as crisp and bright as when new. Usually we will state "minor reader or shelf wear" and/or "minor edge or corner wear" when describing these books and dust jackets. In addition, we may describe specific flaws. VERY GOOD MINUS As "Very Good," above; however, wear on the book will be more pronounced and/or there will be more flaws. For example, spines may be somewhat cocked (leaning either to the right or the left) on both hardcover and paperbacks. Or, if a paperback, the book may not lie perfectly flat or squared but be slightly askew. If a hardcover, spines may be slightly starting to come away from the rest of the book. If a paperback, the book may have a slight curve or curl to the entire volume. Usually this results from being rolled or poorly stored, and usually it will be vertically but could be either up towards the front cover or down towards the back cover. Poorly stored books may have a horizontal curve or wrinkling through the entire volume. This sort of damage will be slight for the book to have this rating. There may be tanning (paper turning brown from age) or light foxing (light to dark brown spots of varying sizes due to age or exposure to moisture) to the pages and/or cover. There may be light water or moisture damage such as lightly wrinkled pages or water stains. Rest assured we do not offer books with lingering dampness. These books will not have any mildew or strong odor. For dust jackets, there may be a few closed (no paper missing) or open (paper missing) tears or chipping (little bits of paper missing) along the edges. The previous owner may have written their name haphazardly inside the book and/or on the cover which may have a slight impact upon the overall quality of the book. Usually we will stated "minor reader and shelf wear; minor edge and corner wear" when describing these books and dust jackets. In addition, we may describe specific flaws. Please note: Some booksellers identify "Very Good Minus" as "Good Plus" in their descriptions. GOOD "Good" equals "Reader's Copy." We offer few books with this rating. When we do, it is because they are particularly valuable, interesting and/or unusual enough to be sought after. "Good" indicates everything that "Very Good Minus" does but with even more pronounced wear. For example, the inside front covers and front- and back-facing end papers may be coming loose from each other. For dust jackets, there may be several closed or open tears as well as chipping along the edges. In addition, there may be larger pieces along the edges that are missing. There also may be signs of old, residual mildew damage due to exposure to moisture. However, rest assured that we will never offer any book with active mildew. As a result of the old, residual mildew damage, there may be a slight "old book" fragrance. The previous owner will have written their name haphazardly inside the book and/or on the cover which detracts from the overall quality of the book. We will state the specific flaws of the book and/or dust jacket when describing these books. POOR Rarely do we offer anything in this condition. Usually it will be a dust jacket which accompanies a book with a higher rating because there are people who want the dust jacket together with the book, regardless of its condition. Tattered dust jackets even to the point of being barely intact will fall into this category but only if its book has been given a better rating or if both the book and dust jacket are particularly interesting and/or unusual enough to be sought after. Book covers may have come completely away from the rest of the book. There may be loose signatures (separate little "booklets" of the pages that are stacked together before binding the entire book). The "old book" fragrance may be somewhat strong. We will state the specific flaws of the book and/or dust jacket when describing these books. Books in this condition will be particularly interesting and/or unusual enough to be sought after, regardless of their condition. Please note: Some booksellers identify "Poor" as "Fair" in their descriptions. |
| How We Rate and Describe Our Books |
| Treasure Island Books |
| Specializing in quality used and out-of-print books since the Twentieth Century |
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