APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Glossary
The beginning point for the following glossary was a very fine “Book Collector's Glossary” compiled by Carl Noe and viewable both at rec.collecting.books, where it was first posted August 23, 1996, and at www.trussel.com/books/glossary.htm. “It is not complete, but is a work in progress, and a labor of love for those who collect books,” writes Carl. “It is dedicated to Scot Kamins (rec.collecting.books proponent) who edited it for me.” We salute Carl for a fine piece of work and thank him for allowing us to use it here. (Starred * items are our additions).
academic reprints Items published by a photographic process for the academic market when a scholarly work, for which there is relatively little demand after its original edition, requires a new printing.
addendum, pl. addenda A supplement to a book. When material needs to be added to a finished book at the time of its binding, it may be printed on a slip of paper and tipped in, or pasted in.
advance copy A review copy. When a book is published, complimentary advance copies will often be sent to reviewers.
advance reading copy * Another name for an advance copy, whose sale is prohibited on Amazon
Americana A classification of books and other objects having to do with America, its people and their history (generally considered to bear relation to the United States of America by those residing in North America).
annotated Including critical and explanatory notes.
antiquarian Of old, rare books, or one who deals in them.
apocryphal A work which is of doubtful authenticity or authorship.
appendix The additional or supplementary material sometimes found at the end of a book.
association copy * A copy that previously belonged to the author, which has been signed or annotated or inscribed with a gift inscription by the author, or someone linked to the author of book in some way, or, sometimes, some other interesting personality
atlas folio Description of the size of a book: about 25 inches high.
author's copies Complimentary copies of the first edition of a book given to the author by the publisher.
autograph The author's signature, typically found on the title page or flyleaf of a book.
backbone A book's backstrap, backstrip or spine.
bar code The common term for Universal Product Code.
bds. Abbreviation for "boards," which see.
belles lettres Fine arts literature (fiction, poetry, drama, etc.) as distinguished from scientific/technical writing.
Biblio An electronic mailing list which is dedicated to news of the used book trade.
bibliography * A list of works on a given subject or by a given author
bibliomane A book-nut (or worse ; ).
bibliophile A book lover (or worse ; ).
blurb The paragraph or so printed on the cover or dust jacket of a book which almost always tells you how important the book is.
boards The stiff front and back parts of a hardcover book.
bound galley An uncorrected page or galley proof sent out by a publisher before publication for publicity.
bowdlerization The practice of censorship by publication of expurgated texts. This practice got its name from English editor Thomas Bowdler (1854-1825) who published altered editions (especially of Shakespeare's works).
casebound A hardcover book.
chapbook A small, usually paperback, book of poetry or a religious tract or somesuch.
chipped A condition in which small pieces of the dust jacket have been chipped away at the edges
clothbound A book with cloth covering the boards.
codex A volume of ancient manuscript.
colophon Either a publisher's trademark or information concerning the book's publication printed at the end of a book. Literally the finishing stroke.
comb binding A binding similar to a spiral binding, but made of plastic, and which if flattened would resemble a comb.
deaccessioning Selling or otherwise disposing of books from a collection.
deckle edge Rough edges which a sheet of paper has after it has left the deckle, but before it is trimmed in the papermaking process.
definitive edition The most authoritative version of a work.
desideratum, pl. desiderata Something needed and wanted. Desiderata is a want list.
dust jacket The paper cover (d.j.).
dust wrapper The same as a dust jacket (d.w.).
double elephant folio Description of the size of a book: about 50 inches high.
duodecimo Description of the size of a book: about 7.75 inches high (12mo).
edition All the copies of the book made from a specific set of type (with the exception of minor alterations).
elephant folio Description of the size of a book: about 23 inches high.
embossing A process which produces decorations raised above the surface (typically of printable material).
endpaper The folded sheet of paper pasted to the inside of the front or back cover and attached to the edge of the first or last page of a hardcover book during manufacturing. Endpapers are not normally numbered.
erratum, pl. errata A correction of error(s) inserted into a book after it has been printed.
ex library A book with library markings on it.
ex libris A Latin phrase meaning, "From the Library of."
even folio Page numbers on the left-hand pages.
FS For sale.
facsimile edition An exact reproduction of an original book depicting the text and the book's physical appearance.
fair condition A worn book with defects such as a torn dust jacket, foxing, or loose binding, etc.
fine condition Nearly new, with slight signs of aging, but no defects.
first edition The first printing of the first edition (as far as collectors are concerned).
flyleaf Unprinted pages (other than endpapers) which may appear at the front or back of a book.
folio Description of the size of a book: about 15 inches high (Fo).
fore edge The front of a book, considering the spine to be the back of a book.
fore-edge painting A form of book decoration popular in the late eighteenth century which displays a painting when the books pages are fanned.
fortyeightmo Description of the size of a book: about 4 inches high (48mo).
foxed Discolored, usually with reddish-brown spots, especially the leaves of a book.
frontispiece Illustration which faces the title page.
galley A proof of a book made before the pages are numbered.
gauffering (goffering) Decorative, deckle edged pages.
good condition A complete book with no major defects, showing normal wear and ageing.
gutter White space between facing pages.
headband A decorative cloth band added to the top of bottom of a book's spine.
holograph A document handwritten by the person purported to have written it.
hornbook A child's primer, made of parchment, mounted on a board with a handle, protected by a transparent plate made of horn.
i.p. In print.
illuminated Old manuscripts and early books decorated with ornamental letters or colored illustrations.
illustrated Decorated with pictures or other features usually for the purpose of clarifying the context.
impression The number of books printed in a press run, or the run itself.
imprint The publisher's and/or printer's note usually found at the foot of the title page giving place, date and publication information.
incunabulum, pl. incunabula A book from the "cradle" time of printing (before 1500).
library binding A reinforced binding.
limited edition A printing which is limited to a stated number. Often inscribed with the author's signature and a sequence number.
mint condition Term referring to a used or antiquarian book whose condition is "Like new". This term is more proper to numismatics and philately, with antiquarians usually preferring "as new."
nom de plume Literally "pen name," the pseudonym an author uses.
o.p. Out of print.
octavo Description of the size of a book: about 9.75 inches high (8mo).
parchment Animal skin (usually sheep) used for a writing material.
quarto Description of the size of a book: about 12 inches high (4mo).
reading copy A book which has little or no value as a collectible item, but has complete text.
recto The right-hand or front of a book leaf. Contrast "verso," the back of the leaf.
shaken A condition characterized by very loose binding.
sixteenmo Description of the size of a book: about 6.75 inches high (16mo).
sixtyfourmo Description of the size of a book: about 3 inches high (64mo).
stacked A condition characterized by a shift in the binding of a book.
thirtytwomo Description of the size of a book: about 5 inches high (32mo).
tooling Decoration of a book's cover by impression of gold leaf or other material.
twentyfourmo Description of the size of a book: about 5.75 inches high (24mo).
vanity publisher One who publishes a book paid for by the author.
vellum A fine calfskin used for writing or book manufacture (used for most ancient manuscripts).
verso The back of a leaf. Contrast "verso," the front of the leaf.
very good condition A complete book, as issued, with very few blemishes or signs of wear.
WTB Want to buy.
WTT Want to trade.
widow A single word or partial line.
woodcut A block of wood which is engraved for printing or the resulting product of its use.
zinc etching A photoengraving process which produces black-and-white line drawings.
Appendix 2: Standard Bookseller Abbreviations
We suggest that you use considerable discretion in determining which abbreviations to employ in describing your books for online sales. If you are listing a book about book collecting, don’t be shy with the terminology and the abbreviations. If you are listing a copy of Sounder or Seeds of Yesterday, even an abbreviation like “VG” or “mass mkt pbk” may be too obscure. It’s always nice to be concise, but if your brevity comes at the cost of clarity the potential buyer is likely to move on to the next available copy of a title.
One good rule of thumb that is probably so obvious I should be embarrassed to state it is simply that you should only use an abbreviation when you are relatively confident that the potential buyer is likely to be familiar with, and understand, the word or words for which the abbreviation stands. There, I’ve stated it, and I am not embarrassed.
ABA ......American Bookseller's Association. Also:
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (the British
equivalent of the ABAA)
ABAA ..... Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.
A.E.G......All Edges Gilt.
ALS ....... Autographed Letter Signed.
ARC......Advance Reading Copy
BCE......Book Club Edition.
BDS......Boards
BOMC......Book-of-the-Month Club.
C........ Small c before date meaning circa; around/about referring to date
CP or ©....... Copyright.
CWO......Check or cash with order.
DEC....... Decorated.
DJ......Dust jacket.
DS...... Document signed.
DW........Dustwrapper (same as dust jacket, or book jacket)
ED.......Edition or Editor.
EP........Endpaper
EX. LIB......Ex. Library copy.
EX. LIBRIS...From the library of, referring to previous owner.
Often found on bookplates.
F.........Fine
FFEP......Front free endpaper.
FL....... . .Flyleaf.
FRONTIS... ....Frontispiece.
G....... ..Good.
HC........Hardcover
IL. ILLUS.....Illustrated.
IOBA...... ...Independent Online Booksellers Association.
LITHO........Lithograph.
LTD. ED........Limited Edition.
N.D (or n-d)........No Date.
N.P (or n-pl)........No Place
O or OOP..........Out-of-Print.
PP...... ...Pages. p. (and then the number) for page ../pp. For pages -
to--
PPB.......Paperback
PPD.......Postpaid.
PR.........Printing
PSEUD. ......Pseudonym.
PUB.......Published/publisher.
RFEP.......Rear free endpaper.
RET.........Returnable.
SLC..........Slipcase
SGD.......Signed.
SP........Spelling.
T.E.G. .......Top Edge Gilt.
TLS.........Typed letter signed.
TP........Title Page.
VG........Very Good.
VOL., VOLS.....Volume/Volumes.
W.A.F.......With All Faults.
W/O.......Without.
Appendix 3: A Casual Bibliography
My friend and colleague Genevieve Kazdin is the proprietor of a very well-run online bookshop on Cape Cod, called Dunes Studio, and she has distilled years of experience and education into the following casual, annotated bibliography of books about bookselling and book collecting. I thank her heartily for her contribution, her good humor, and her support, and I urge everyone who finds this bibliography helpful or illuminating or amusing, or not, to go directly to her online storefront at www.amazon.com/shops/dunesstudio and buy one or two of her listings, which I can assure you from personal experience will then arrive promptly in very careful packaging.
Books
Collected Books: The Guide To Values 2002. Allen Ahearn, Patricia Ahearn. 2002, Putnam, 0399147810.
Expensive, but an excellent guide to relative values. Beware - the market changes quickly and such a book can be outdated before it hits the stores. It does help in setting values, however.Book of First Books. Allen Ahearn. 1983, 0961049413.
Do you remember Larry McMurtry's first book? It can be important to know the titles of the first books of current popular authors. Ahearn is a great help in tracking down this information.Price Guide to Cookbooks and Recipe Leaflets (1991 values). Linda J. Dickinson. Collector Books, Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc.
Some interesting and little-known titles. Remember, values quickly go out of date, but this book can help assign publication dates to books and leaflets with little information.Huxford's Old Book Value Guide. 1999, Collector Books, Schroeder Publishing Co. Inc. 11th edition, 1574321196.
Again, such guides quickly go out of date and should not be used as absolute pricing guidelines. The value of this book, for me, is giving publication dates and information for many books, and clues as to their relative values to the author's other works.Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. 1997 Thomas Dunne Book, St. Martin's Press 0312187688.
A charming, chatty memoir of the book collection adventures of a likeable couple finding their way from small, friendly used book stores to the highest level of collecting experiences. The reader learns along with the Goldstones.A Gentle Madness. Nicholas A. Basbanes. 1999 Owl Book, Henry Holt 0805061762.
Passionate about books? Read about some of the great, renowned collectors, many with unlimited funds, and some with minimal assets. This is essential reading for anyone seriously collecting, or even dreaming about it.Cyber Rules: Strategies for Excelling at E-Business. Thomas M. Siebel and Pat House. 1999 Currency Book, Doubleday 0385494122.
An interesting view of e-business which offers thoughts and suggestions for success even for the small business person. Anyone who takes online selling seriously should take a look at the large picture of e-business.Booked To Die. John Dunning. PocketBooks, 2000, 0743410653.
The Bookman's Wake. John Dunning. PocketBooks 1995 0671567829.
What are two mystery novels doing in this list? Dunning's character, Cliff Janeway, is an ex-homicide detective who has turned in his badge and opened a book store. The mysteries revolve around rare books, the finding of them, book scouts, and other attributes of the book business. Dunning seems to have researched this well, and therefore this is a pleasant way to pick up some of the tricks of the trade.Parnassus on Wheels. Christopher Morley. Common Reader Edition, Trafalgar Sq., 2000 , 1888173564.
Haunted Bookshop. Christopher Morley. Common Reader Edition, Trafalgar Sq., 2000, 1888173572.
And now for something completely different. These small tales are somewhere between romance and adventure. They were written about 1917, and are as old fashioned as you might guess. When Roger Mifflin meets up with Helen McGill, they elope together in Roger's wagon and travel around selling books. Eventually, they settle in Brooklyn and open a store. Maybe they will not help you sell books, but they will put a smile on your face, and share the book-magic that Roger and Helen felt. Not bad, for a summer day's read!Book Finds. Ian C. Ellis. 2001, Perigee Books, Berkley Publishing 0399526544.
I find this an enormously helpful book. There, I said it. Other online dealers have scoffed at this one, but I find it contains a great deal of information: a glossary; help in identifying first editions, BCEs; reference suggestions; and perhaps most helpful of all, the attitude that book selling can be done well and with ethics intact. Ellis wisely does not publish a price guide for books he recommends. He knows how misleading such a guide can be after only a short time. This book is worth reading -- and if you do not find it of value, why, resell it online!Slightly Chipped: Footnotes in Booklore. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone, 0312205872, May 1999, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press.
The further book-collecting adventures of the Goldstones, as easy-to-read, and informative as their earlier book. One learns with this couple and has a good read as well. The value of catalogues, why the touch and feel of a book can be important, and the atmosphere of a book sale are just some of the aspects covered here. BOOKS: Identification and price guide (The Confident Collector). Nancy Wright, 0380769417, September 1993, Avon Books trade paper.
A discussion and listing of collectible books, with obviously out-dated values, presenting sane arguments on the policies of pricing used books for sale.Cookbooks Worth Collecting. Mary Barile, 0870696866, 1994, Wallace-Homestead, Chilton Books, Radnor Pennsylvania.
A treasure of information about collectible cookbooks, with history, descriptions, photos, and suggested prices. An excellent resource for specialists.Unsigned: A Booklover's Mystery by Julie Wallin Kaewert (Mass Market Paperback - January 2001) Bantam Books ISBN: 0553582194.
Unsolicited: A Booklover's Mystery by Julie Wallin Kaewert (Mass Market Paperback - August 2000) Crime Line ISBN: 0553582097.
Unbound: A Booklover's Mystery by Julie Wallin Kaewert (Mass Market Paperback - December 1997) Bantam Books ISBN: 0553577158.
Untitled: A Booklover's Mystery by Julie Wallin Kaewert (Mass Market Paperback) Bantam Books ISBN: 0553577174.
Uncatalogued by Julie Wallin Kaewert (Mass Market Paperback - January 2002) Crime Line ISBN: 0553582208.
Another delicious series of mysteries set in a British publishing house. If we are reading for pleasure and relaxation, we might as well pick up the terms used in the publishing business and come away with a sense of the industry. Who says earning needs to be boring?The Elements of Style. William Strunk, Jr and E. B. White.
It is my sincere belief that an effective book seller must not only know books, but be articulate and precise in language. Since many have difficulties with spelling (use a good spell-checker) and with the vagaries of English grammar, I recommend this small, concise volume as perhaps the easiest way to refresh all those rules we learned in third grade. I, personally, tend not to buy from someone who can't cope with the differences among there, their, and they're. Periodicals Firsts, the Book Collector’s Magazine is published 10 times a year (monthly except for July and August.). Subscriptions are $40 to the US, $60 US to Canada, $95 US to all other countries. (www.firsts.com). Kathryn Smiley, Editor, Tucson, AZ.
Each issue features various articles on one subject. (December 2001 concentrated on American Gift Books.) One also finds news of catalogues, sales, classified ads. This magazine is essential for anyone specializing in first editions. Book: The Magazine for the Reading Life (www.bookmagazine.com). Subscriptions are $20 for six bimonthly issues. Jerome V. Kramer, Editor; West Egg Communications, New York, NY.
Book presents news and reviews about current releases, upcoming releases, interviews with authors, and a wide range of reviews. Pages: The Magazine for People Who Love Books (www.ireadpages.com). Subscriptions are $15.95 for six bimonthly issues. John Hogan, Editor-In-Chief, San Diego CA.
On the surface, this magazine is similar to Book. Together, they encompass a broad look at current publications, and offer a variety of reviewers with differing viewpoints. A valuable pair of periodicals for anyone wanting to be aware of what's new in the book world.
Appendix 4: An Online Bookseller’s Rolodex
What follows is a rude beginning, compiling links to sites that are mentioned throughout this book. We’ve left plenty of white space for you to add your own notes, phone numbers, editions, personal contact names, and to-do lists, on the off chance you are not planning to re-sell this book.
Book Search Engines
Addall used.addall.com and www.addall.com
Inventory Management Software
Booktrakker (www.booktrakker.com)
BookHound (www.bookhound.net)
BookRouter (www.bookrouter.com)
Price Hunter (www.saveallsoft.com)
Bookseller Organizations
American Booksellers Association
(www.bookweb.org, email: info@bookweb.org)
Independent Online Booksellers Association
International Book Collectors Association
Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America
Bookseller Mailing Lists and Message Boards
Bibliophile Mailing List(www.bibliophilegroup.com)
Amazon.com Seller Connection Discussion Board
(http://forums.prosperotechnologies.com/am-sellconnect/start/)
Book Distributors
Daedalus Books (www.daedalus-books.com)
Links with Information of Interest to Booksellers
Book Sale Finder (www.booksalefinder.com)
Glenn Larson’s Guide to First Edition Identification on the International Book Collector’s Association website at www.rarebooks.org/firsted.htm
Bibliomania on Grading Definitions (www.bibliomania.net/Lesson1.html)
Independent Online Booksellers Association on Book Descriptions (www.ioba.org/desc.html)
Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov)
Amazon Associates – Affiliate Referrals (www.amazon.com/associates)
Be Free – Multi-Affiliate Programs (www.befree.com).
AuctionBytes (www.auctionbytes.com)
The Midlist Study Group Report: A committee appointed by the Authors Guild set out a year ago to study the problem of the “midlist” book. With the help of a grant from George Soros’s Open Society Institute, the committee hired the reporter David D. Kirkpatrick to research and write about what he found. Kirkpatrick is the Times reporter who wrote the news story on used book sales quoted in Chapter II of this book. www.authorsguild.org/prmidlist.html
Shipping Carriers
United States Postal Service (www.usps.com)
United Parcel Service (www.ups.com)
Federal Express (www.fedex.com)
Buying Postage Online
Neopost’s Simply Postage (www.neopost.com)
Pitney Bowes’ Clickstamp (www.pitneyworks.com).
Shipping Supplies and Solutions
ULINE Shipping Supplies (www.uline.com)
Hillas Packaging Network (www.hillas.com)
Papermart (www.papermart.com)
Book Repairs Book Repair, by Elizabeth Dodds, Colby College Libraries (www.colby.edu/library/collections/technical_services/wp/BookRepair.html)
A Simple Book Repair Manual, Preservation Services, Dartmouth College Library (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~preserve/repair/repairindex.htm)
Emergency Salvage of Moldy Books and Paper, by Beth Lindblom Patkus, Northeast Document Conservation Center (http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf39.htm)
Book Deodorizing granules from J Godsey Booksellers (email: gods@attbi.com)
Online Banking, Payment & Merchant Accounts
Netbank (www.netbank.com)
First Internet Bank of Indiana (www.firstib.com)
PayPal (www.paypal.com)
ProPay (www.propay.com)
Quickbooks Merchant Account Service (www.quickbooks.com/services/mas/more.html)
Email
Nativeweb (www.nativeweb.net)
Bookselling Venues
Amazon Marketplace:
URL: www.amazon.com/marketplace
EMAIL: sellers-support@amazon.com
TELEPHONE: 800-201-7575 or 877-251-0696 (Between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday) FAX: 206-266-2950
Amazon zShops and Auctions
EMAIL: seller-support@amazon.com; community-help@amazon.com - report a community rules violation; reports@amazon.com - report abuse
TELEPHONE: 800-201-7575 or 877-251-0696 (Between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday) FAX: 206-266-2950
Half.com
URL: www.half.ebay.com/products/books/index.cfm
EMAIL: books@half.com or Info@half.com
TELEPHONE: (888) 879-4253 or 1 (800) 545-9857
EBay Auctions
URL: www.ebay.com
EMAIL: eBay discourages direct email contact by does provide a web-based email support system at www.pages.ebay.com/help/basics/select-support.html
Advanced Book Exchange
URL: www.abebooks.com
EMAIL: ABE Financial: invoice@abebooks.com; ABE/Half.com Program: half.com@abebooks.com; Web-based “Help Wizard” at www.dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/ActionRequestInsert
TELEPHONE: 1-800-315-5335 6AM-10PM Mon-Fri; 10AM-2PM Sat PSTFAX: 1 - 250 - 475 - 6016
Alibris
URL: www.alibris.com
EMAIL: sellers@alibris.com
SNAIL MAIL: Alibris, 1250 45th Street, Suite 100
Emeryville, CA 94608.
Antiqbook
URL: www.antiqbook.com
EMAIL: nan@antiqbook.nl
BiblioDirect.com
URL: www.BiblioDirect.com
EMAIL: admin@BiblioDirect.com .
Bibliology
URL: www.bibliology.com
EMAIL:membership@bibliology.com or enquries@bibliology.com
Biblion
URL: www.biblion.com
EMAIL: www.biblion.com/contact.php
TELEPHONE: 020 7495 0219, between 9am and 6pm GMT Monday to Friday.
Bibliophile
URL: www.bibliophile.net
EMAIL: benson@bibliophile.net
TELEPHONE: +41 1 364 57 11 BookAvenue
URL: www.bookavenue.co
EMAIL: info@bookavenue.com
Books & Collectibles
URL: www.booksandcollectibles.com.au
EMAIL: admin@booksandcollectibles.com.au
TomFolio
URL: www.tomfolio.com
EMAIL: www.tomfolio.com/sendmessage.asp?type=2
SNAIL MAIL: TomFolio, P.O. Box 392, Readville, MA 02137
