How to describe the condition of a used book

When two people exchange a used book, almost every misunderstanding grows out of a single word: good. To the lender it means "not broken"; to the borrower it means "looks new". In between sit twenty shades neither of them named, and the disappointment arrives on the pavement, when it is too late to say anything.

The fix is not to be strict, it is to be specific. Five words of vocabulary and thirty seconds of checking will do it.

The parts of a book, by name

• Spine — the edge you see on a shelf, the one with the title. Almost all wear concentrates here: vertical creases on a paperback (reading creases), sun fading, crushed ends.
• Hinge — the groove between spine and board, where the cover flexes every time the book opens. It is the first thing to give. On a hardback, open the book to ninety degrees and look for cloth pulling away.
• Boards — the two faces of the cover, front and back.
• Edges — the three sides of the closed text block. The top edge collects dust, and on a book left standing for years it turns grey.
• Foxing — the rust-coloured speckling on paper, typical of books kept somewhere damp. It is not dirt and it does not come off: it is a reaction in the paper. It does not affect reading, but it should be mentioned.
• Endpaper — the blank leaf pasted inside the cover. Where you find inscriptions, bookplates and pencilled prices.

A scale that works

Five levels are more than enough between neighbours. The rule is that each level admits something: if a description names no flaw at all, the reader assumes there is none.

As new

Read once or never. No spine creases, no name written in, no dog-ears. If there is even one vertical crease down the spine, it is not this level.

Very good

Clearly read but well handled: a few spine creases, corners still sharp, clean pages. This is where most books that actually circulate belong.

Good

Obvious wear and no damage: creased spine, slightly curled cover, perhaps a name on the endpaper, some dog-ears. Reads perfectly well.

Worn

The book does its job and it shows: marked cover or small tears, darkened edges, underlining, a hinge starting to go. Still entirely lendable, as long as you say so.

Poor

Loose or missing pages, broken spine, extensive staining, mould. A book like this can be given to someone who just wants to read it, but it should not be sent travelling: it gets worse with every handover.

The thirty-second check

Before you share a copy — or the moment one is handed to you — look at these five things, in this order:

1. Open the book at the middle and listen. A dry crack from a perfect-bound spine means the pages are about to come away.
2. Riffle the block with your thumb. Three seconds shows you underlining, dog-ears, loose pages and the stain you would otherwise have missed.
3. Look at the hinge with the book held open at ninety degrees.
4. Check the endpaper for inscriptions and names. They are not flaws, but the borrower deserves to know — and anyone lending a book inscribed by their mother might want to think again.
5. Smell it. It sounds odd and it is the most reliable damp test there is: a cellar smell means paper that has taken water, and foxing is on its way.

How to write it, in practice

One line, worst flaw first:

• "Very good, two reading creases down the spine."
• "Good, name in pen on the endpaper and some dog-ears in the first chapter."
• "Worn: 2 cm tear at the bottom of the cover, everything else sound."
• "As new, never read — it was a duplicate gift."

None of these sentences puts off someone who wants to read the book. All of them avoid the disappointed face at handover, which is the one thing that genuinely stops people exchanging books.

What if it comes back worse?

A book in circulation wears out: that is the nature of the thing, and anyone lending accepts it. The difference between wear and damage is simple — wear is spread out and gradual (one more crease in the spine), damage is local and sudden (a torn page, a coffee ring). The first does not need mentioning at all. The second does, calmly, and it almost always finds someone on the other end offering to put it right.

In short

• Five levels are enough: as new, very good, good, worn, poor.
• Always name the worst flaw, not the average state.
• Thirty-second check: open, riffle, hinge, endpaper, smell.
• Foxing is not dirt and will not come off: say it is there.
• Wear is spread out and goes unmentioned; damage is local and gets said.