Park Avenue Books Book Ratings
Park Avenue Books uses the AB Bookman's descriptive terms standard for rating book condition
There's more to rating a book's condition than "new" or "used". Park Avenue Books bookstore and the individual book listings on this website use the book description system developed by the Antiquarian
Bookman in 1949. The AB Bookman's description system for books seeks to eliminate confusion about the condition of a used book by using a common set of descriptive terms and has become a widely accepted standard
for booksellers and book buyers.
We have provided below in the Short Description column a summary of the full AB description. The full AB descriptions also call for noting "any defects" for each of the categories
(except for the "As New" and "Poor" categories). Park Avenue Books strives to be honest in assigning description ratings and to indicate the additional rating information when appropriate.
AB Bookman's
Description Term (rating) |
Short Description |
| As New |
same immaculate condition in which it was published (including jacket, when a jacket was issued) |
| Fine |
approaches the As New condition, but without being crisp; no defects |
| Very Good |
some small signs of wear; no tears |
| Good |
average used and worn book, all pages present |
| Fair |
worn, complete text pages; may miss endpapers or half-title, etc. |
| Poor |
complete text and readable; worn binding and pages; possibly soiled, scuffed, etc. |
In addition to the ratings above, we intend to note when a book (or other media) is an Ex-Library copy, Book Club edition or Binding Copy. If you are interested in
one of our listed items and have any question about our assigned rating please contact us directly.
Thank you,
Linda and Diana.
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