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How do you define "very good"? (1 Viewer)

Yeah, the cover looks dirty, so it cannot be called "very fine". "Very fine" is the grade between "Fine" and "near mint". I would call it "fine-", because you can't call it "fine" with all that dirt on the cover. Maybe only "very good +" - the grade just below "fine"/"fine-"...of course, it also depends on the condition of the pages inside...
 
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Hi,
I would call it "good", which, I believe in book seller terms, means downright ugly, but with no pages missing...

I would not buy it. If it was one that I would never see in better shape, maybe, but that title is not that tough to find...

Of course, this would be a good one to bring to the beach (still my least favirote novel by Buk).

Bill
 
I never understood those gradings. They are completely subjective. To me, a book with a cover like that is trashed. I just gave away a hardcover South of No North to someone who wanted to read Bukowski for the first time. It looked like the copy of Hollywood in the auction and I was embarrassed to give it away...
 
bospress.net said:
I would call it "good", which, I believe in book seller terms, means downright ugly, but with no pages missing... I would not buy it. Of course, this would be a good one to bring to the beach (still my least favirote novel by Buk).
Click to expand...

If I get it for 10 bucks, I'm okay with that... I'll throw a mylar plastic thing on it and it'll be as good as new... (assuming you are blind and don't see all that GRIME/DIRT on the cover!!!
:)
Bill, are you saying you like PULP more than Hollywood?!
I thought PULP was his WORST...
 
mjp said:
I never understood those gradings. They are completely subjective. To me, a book with a cover like that is trashed.
Click to expand...

I agree that this book is in pretty shitty condition, but I also agree with Bill that GOOD would be the proper grade in terms of bookselling. The purpose of the grading system is to put everyone on the same page. If you're familiar with the grading system, you will have a pretty good general idea of what to expect when you buy a book. In bookseller's terms "Good" means that the book is still readable and the binding is still holding the guts together, but that cosmetically it's probably pretty bad. The problems come when someone who is not familiar with the system buys a book that's described as good and gets pissed off that they got a really beat up copy, or when someone describes a book in bookman's terms without knowing what they're implying.
 
I AGREE.
Currently I'm the HIGH BIDDER and if I win for 10 bucks, I'm happy...
I'm happy because of what you mentioned; I know what the condition is. It's DEFINITELY not VERY GOOD as it's described, I saw the photos before bidding (I'm obsessive, maybe I bid too much..!). What is the WORST is when you get a book and it's not what was described and it's not what you saw in the picture... I've won a couple of items where the book arrives and they 'conveniently' forgot to mention a college student underlined and highlighted half the book! Or a book that was held together by electrical tape!
Overall at least 80% of my collection is because of eBay, so the positives far out weigh the negatives (for me).
 
chronic nailed it. When I sell books, I'm conservative and use a grade lower than the bookselling definition I could use. I would sell this as fair, but it's technically good. I often list mint books as fine. My goal is to not have someone disappointed because they aren't familiar with the official definitions. A good book can be trashed. Makes no sense to me, but that's the definition.
 
Interesting.

I'm going to see if I can get a similar grading system put into place when I'm up for job reviews. ;)

"Well, he didn't show up one or two days a week, and when he was here he made a lot of mistakes...I guess I would say he's done a GOOD job!"
 
edging closer to 20 bucks...
still wouldn't have minded having it for 10 bucks, now with all the talk I'd like to actually 'see' the book in person, but for 20+ bucks I'll pass...
 
I think Hollywood is a better book. In fact, I don't even think Pulp is a very good read at all! Same titles, but so many different opinions. That's why they invented menus.
 
I agree, I thought PULP was 'bad'. I don't have a problem with trying different styles (crime), but the execution (for me) was really lackluster. Still, it was the first SIGNED Buk item I ever purchased, so it was also a POSITIVE memory, getting a Buk HC sent to Toronto from BSP for under 50 bucks...
 

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