MINT (M) As issued. The book is absolutely brand new, perfect in every way and just as clean and bright as the day it was printed. This condition grade is seldom, if ever, found.

NEAR MINT (NM)  Almost perfect. The cover is bright, crisp, and unfaded. Original plastic lamination (if any) is intact. The spine is very tight, square , and clean. The pages are still largely white, with a slight darkening due to age. The book looks virtually like a perfect copy.

VERY FINE (VF)  Very minor defects. All aspects of the book are clean and fresh with no major signs of wear. There may be light fading on the cover of spine, with perhaps very minor wear spots along the book’s exterior edges.

FINE (F)  Some evidence of slight wear. This copy may have been read carefully once or twice, resulting in a light crease along the edge of the cover by the spine.  There are minor stress lines on the spine. The binding is still tight. Original cover lamination (if any) may be slightly peeling at the corners. Edge staining could be slightly fading. Pages are largely white but browning around the edges. No major creases or bends are in the covers. Light wear, minor color-flaking, or minor rubbing is noticeable on the extremities. An assortment of minor indications of wear are present, but the book remains a very nice copy.

VERY GOOD (VG)  An obviously read, but fairly tight copy. Plastic lamination (if any) is noticeably peeling in spots. There are slight bends or creases in the cover. The pages are fairly fresh but browning. The spine is bent from several readings but not broken or torn. Wear spots, chipping, and rubbing are noticeable but not major. Cover lustre and gloss have faded. There are no tears in the spine and no tape repairs. Very minor spine splits may be noticeable at the top and bottom.

GOOD (G)  The average used copy. The cover has bends and creases and is faded. The copy is complete with no pages missing. The spine is loose with possible splitting on either end but is intact. The spine could be rolled. Minor tears might be present on some pages. No pieces of the cover are missing. Although this copy has been read many times and shows obvious signs of wear, it is still holding together.

FAIR (f)  Very heavily read and possibly soiled, but still complete and readable. Torn covers or pages are likely, as is a rolled spine. Damage from the elements or stains may be evident. This is a reading copy only.

POOR (P)  Damaged, heavily worn, and soiled. Pages or parts of the cover may be missing.