Safety of books
We add the characteristic “Safety” to bookseller, antique books and used books. Safety will help you understand the condition of the goods.
On AlphaDiscounters, we distinguish the types of publications in this way:
- Antique editions — books published before 1941;
- Bookseller — books published from 1942 inclusive to 2010;
- Used books — books published since 2011 and used.
Antique publications
The safety Is “Excellent”
The publication has been preserved in excellent condition: sheets, cover, binding, book block without visible changes, no mechanical damage. If the publication contains illustrations, engravings, maps, they are all fully equipped.
The safety is “Very good”
The publication has minor changes in condition: yellowed sheets, slightly faded binding, small mechanical damage to the book block, light scuffs of the binding, covers.
The safety is “Good”
The publication may have noticeable changes in condition: yellowed sheets, faded binding, noticeable scuffs of the cover, mechanical damage to the book block and binding.
For books of the 16th-18th centuries, editions are put in good preservation, even if the book is noticeably damaged. Due to their great age, they have a high value.
The state of the binding and the book block can be evaluated differently. For example, the condition of the binding may be satisfactory, but the book block itself is well preserved. The safety of the book is good. The description will indicate the satisfactory condition of the binding.
The safety “Satisfactory”
The publication has yellowed sheets and cover, faded binding, large mechanical damage to the sheets, cracks and loss of binding fragments, torn sheets. Fragments of sheets that do not include text and illustrations may be lost, the fastening between the elements inside the block may be broken. Restoration work is required. We try to sell as few of these books as possible.
Publications with safety below satisfactory on AlphaDiscounters are not for sale.
Characteristics of such books:
- irreversible changes in the book block and binding;
- significant mechanical damage to the sheets, the block and the binding: the fastening of the elements of the book block, the book block with the spine and the covers of the binding is broken;
- fragments of sheets or individual sheets with text or illustrations are lost;
- the publication is affected by mold or fungus.
Booksellers editions
The description of booksellers on the website may differ slightly from those actually delivered if:
- the difference in the year of publication is up to three years;
- there are differences in the color of the cover or front of the book, but the content of the book, its design and output data are completely the same.
The safety Is “Excellent”
The publication has no damage, traces of use, corresponds to the safety of the new book.
The safety is “Good”
The publication has:
- noticeable scuffs;
- minor mechanical damage to the book binding unit;
- small temporary spots;
- yellowed pages;
- gift inscriptions.
Editions with safety below good on AlphaDiscounters are not for sale.
Such books may have:
- underscores in the text;
- disheveled corners;
- various cover defects;
- covers with traces of moisture;
- crumpled covers.
Used books
The safety Is “Excellent”
The publication has no damage, traces of use, corresponds to the safety of the new book.
The safety is “Good”
The publication has noticeable scuffs, minor mechanical damage to the book block and binding, small temporary stains. Yellowed pages are possible. Publications may contain gift inscriptions.
Editions with safety below good on AlphaDiscounters are not for sale.
