A worn old leather binding with rubbed corners and tooled decoration, beside a ruler — CC0 image via Wikimedia Commons. Creator: Lord Herbert of Cherburys Binder. All image credits.

Rare books guide

Book condition grading, explained

Book condition grading uses a short scale that booksellers have shared for decades. Knowing it helps you price a book, describe it to a buyer, and read a dealer’s listing without surprises. The grades come from terms proposed by AB Bookman’s Weekly in 1949.

The grading scale

Sellers often add a plus or minus, or use Near Fine, for books between two grades. Words like “Good” sound better than they are: in bookseller terms, Good means a clearly used copy.

Grade	Short code	What it means
As New		As it was when it left the publisher. No defects at all.
Fine	F	Close to As New. It may have been opened or read with care, but shows no damage.
Very Good	VG	Shows some small signs of wear, but no tears. Often the minimum for collectors. Defects must be listed.
Good	G	An average used book: worn, but complete with all pages. Defects must be listed.
Fair		Worn, with all text pages present, but it may lack endpapers or the half-title page.
Poor	P	Heavily worn or damaged, but the full text is readable. Only a reading copy.

Labels that must always be stated

Ex-library: a former library book, usually with stamps, pockets or stickers. Usually worth much less.
Book club edition: a cheaper club printing, not the publisher’s own edition.
Binding copy: the pages are fine, but the binding is badly damaged or missing.

Grading the dust jacket

The book and its dust jacket are graded separately. A listing such as F/VG means a Fine book in a Very Good jacket. For books from the 1900s onward, the jacket can make up a large part of the value, so describe it carefully: chips, tears, fading and whether the price has been clipped from the flap.

Glossary of common condition terms

Term	Meaning
Foxing	Scattered reddish-brown spots on the paper.
Toning	Even browning of the paper with age.
Sunned	Faded by light, often on the spine.
Rubbed	Worn from friction, usually at edges and corners.
Bumped	Corners or spine ends pushed in or rounded.
Chipped	Small pieces missing from the edges of a dust jacket.
Cocked	The spine slants, usually from leaning on a shelf.
Shaken	Pages beginning to come loose from the binding.
Hinge	The inside joint where the cover meets the text block.
Remainder mark	A stamp or dot on the edge of the pages, showing unsold stock sold off cheaply.
Inscribed	Signed by the author with a personal note, often to a named person.
Association copy	A copy linked to the author or someone close to them, ideally with proof.

How to grade your own book

Check every page for tears, stains, writing and missing leaves.
Check the binding: is it tight, or loose and shaken?
Look at the corners, spine ends and edges for wear.
Grade the dust jacket on its own, if there is one.
Pick the grade, then list every flaw. When in doubt, choose the lower grade.

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Frequently asked questions

What does VG mean in book condition?

VG means Very Good: a used book with small signs of wear but no tears. Any defects should be listed.

What does F/VG mean in a book listing?

It means the book is in Fine condition and its dust jacket is Very Good. The book and jacket are graded separately.

Is Good a good condition for a book?

In bookseller terms, Good means an average used, worn copy that is complete. Collectors usually look for Very Good or better.

What is the best condition grade for a used book?

As New is the top grade, followed by Fine. Most used books for sale are Very Good or Good.

Related guides

How much is my old book worth?What is my old book worth?
How to care for old booksCaring for old books
Where to sell old and rare booksWhere to sell old books
How to tell if a book is a first editionIs it a first edition?
Is my old book valuable? ChecklistFree tool, runs in your browser
Rare books hubAll rare and old book guides

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Published 2026-10-27. Last checked 2026-10-27.