Whether you're looking for a childhood favorite or a rare, 18th century book there are a few particulars you should look for in the description.

First and foremost is the condition. What do you expect? Would you like a pristine book perfect for display & collection? Or would a good, readable copy suffice? Obviously, condition will effect cost. Read the description carefully. Look for what the seller DOESN'T tell you. Is there soiling to the boards? Cracked hinges? Loose binding? Writing or other marks? If the description is vague, then by all means, ask! Better to find out before you buy rather than be dissapointed when the postman comes. Check out some of the books listed in Olde Trading Post to better understand this concept & perhaps find something that you've been looking for.

Next, editions, copyright & publishing dates. These are not interchangable. Copyright simply means the legal date that the material was created. Publishing date, however means when the book was actually printed. Most copyright/publishing dates can be found on the back of the title page. If there is no stated edition or print you may have to investigate further. For example, early edition Dr. Suess books do not state an edition-just a copyright date. This can be frustrating at times, but purchase of a first edition buying guide will help you immensely. Newer books will either have a stated edition/print and/or a number or letter line such as ABCDEFGH, 1234567, HGFEDCBA, 7654321. As long as the number 1 or letter A is shown somewhere in the line it is safe to assume that it is a first edition.

Know book lingo. Boards are the front & back covers. Endpapers are the papers pasted down inside the covers. Fly leaf refers to 1st blank page as does first free end paper or ffep. A half title page is a page with just the title listed-no other writing. Frontispiece refers usually to an illustration opposite the title page. A tissue guard is a piece of light tissue paper placed between the frontispiece & title page to protect the image & also to keep it from transferring onto the title page which does happen frequently in very old books. A gully is a very cracked hinge inside the book. Most times this indicates that you can actually see the webbing used in the binding of the book. The term p.o. sig means previous owner's signature. Name plate often means a decorative sticker of some kind with the owner's name inscribed. Soiling is dirt or stains to boards, spine or pages. Edgewear or rub wear indicate wear spots to the edges of the boards or spine. Bumping means the book has bump marks on the corners or spine. Ex-lib is a book that came from a public or school library & will have various library markings, pockets & such. Signed indicates that the author has autographed the book.  

This has been a brief, albeit incomplete guide to help get you started. It is my sincere hope that it has helped you.

Reading is fast becoming a lost form of entertainment & relaxation. This is sad because book collecting can be a very fun & exciting venture.

Feed your mind & imagination-read a book today!!