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is this in "VG" condition? (2 Viewers)

jordan

lothario speedwagon
i'm trying to decide if i should be annoyed at the condition this book came in. the seller said, "a very good to fine copy. not a fine copy, but a nice copy." do you think i got ripped off at $50?


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Yeah, at a glance I'd say that Very Good is about right, though "Very Good to Fine" would definitely be stretching it.
 
bit of moisture spotting/humidity. very good is a fair rating.
looks better than my copy...
 
Probably fair. Still, if the condition bothers you, you could probably find a buyer and still list it accurately. It is still worth $50, I believe.

Bill
 
I'm relatively new to using the standard guides to rating book condition, but this is definitely not Very Good to Fine. While the cost isn't off the mark, the description is. The water damage really brings down the rating, in my opinion.
 
I had meant to bid on that one, missed it by a few minutes.

To be fair he did offer more information in his description.

Charles Bukowski. DANGLING IN THE TOURNEFORTIA. Black Sparrow Press (Santa Barbara) 1981 First trade hardcover edition, one of 750 copies. 281 pages.

Anthology of 107 poems by Buk, this book dedicated to John Fante.

CONDITION: A few minor spots of foxing on edges, o/w a Very Good to Fine copy in original acetate dust jacket. Not a Fine copy, but a nice copy.

NOT a Book Club, NOT an ex-library, NO bookplates, and NO previous owner's signatures.

I think the price you paid was very fair. I'm guessing the later printing you sold was near mint?

Well, personally, I'd still see this first as a good upgrade.
 
The condition descriptions in the book world are fucked. They have nothing to do with the universally accepted meanings of the words they use. They are like code words used by a closed society, and throwing your money away on those first couple "good" books is the price of initiation. Never understood why they do that.

I mean, come on, in what other English speaking universe does the word "good" mean "just barely in one piece, filthy, smelly, but all the parts are there and it is still somewhat usable under the right circumstances"? Loco. We are all loco. ;)
 
mjp is correct (again). What can you possibly expect from a dealer who uses a range of "very good" to "fine?" He just covered the entire spectrum of grading! That covers every possible condition the book could be in. That's why I miss book fairs so much. Nothing beats holding a book in your hand and assessing your OWN grade!
 
It's probably in the "good" to "very good" range, technically, although if I were listing it, I'd call it "fair" because I wouldn't want a disappointed buyer. I bought a "good' book that was missing the last page, but that was an appendix page, so I guess the seller figured it didn't matter because who reads those, right?
 
I mean, come on, in what other English speaking universe does the word "good" mean "just barely in one piece, filthy, smelly, but all the parts are there and it is still somewhat usable under the right circumstances"? Loco. We are all loco. ;)

"Good" meaning "shitty" was beyond me for quite a while. The day it really dawned on me, I began to understand you better ;)
 
For some reason a "good" book can be dirty and look like shit but as long as it's intact and readable then it's in "good" condition.

Sorry Jordan, but your book, although technically in "good" condition, looks awful.

Tell me, does it feel and look good to you when you hold it in your hand?

And don't get me started about ORO MADRE!
 
"Good" meaning "shitty" was beyond me for quite a while. The day it really dawned on me, I began to understand you better ;)

No no... you got it all wrong. Good does not mean shitty. Fair means shitty. Good means merely cruddy, but still safe to touch without latex gloves.
 
ok, so with these differing opinions, give me some advice:
do I...
a) deal with the fact that it was optimistically described, because it's still worth the $50 i paid, or...
b) hit the seller up for a partial refund, because he didn't describe all the faults (principally the humidity damage).

if i keep it, i'm going to try to flatten those pages out as best i can, which should make it look a lot better. but the pages have still yellowed a little bit (also not described), which is frustrating.

some people have already answered this- i'm curious about the people who don't think VG is a fair rating.
 
Well, here's an answer your query "I'm curious about the people who don't think VG is a fair rating".

I'm 48 years old, a Buk reader for over 27 years now, a drinker of alcohol and smoker of cigars with a penchant for sweets, comic books and lazy-ass internet postings. How about the rest of you who don't think VG is a fair rating? Jordan is curious!
 
And don't get me started about ORO MADRE!
Fuck off already about Oro Madre. We get it, you don't dig the quality of their publications, Going Modern sucked, right, right. I'm just so excited to see Oro Madre mentioned in every fifth post you make.

As Billy Crystal would say, "It's not fun. It's not funny."
 
If you read various bookselling official descriptions of condition grades, then the "fair" "good" "very good" thing will kind of make sense, although it should be "shitty" "crudy" "just okay". What's present or not present, regardless of its condition, plays a big part in it. Like "Are all of the pages there?" "Well, yes." "Then it's good!"
 
I mean, come on, in what other English speaking universe does the word "good" mean "just barely in one piece, filthy, smelly, but all the parts are there and it is still somewhat usable under the right circumstances"?

well, I don't know about American certificates of employment / job references, but I sure can tell you: in German certificates of employment they use EXACTLY this type of code!

(they do it by law, btw. since they're not allowed to write 'bad' things about their workers - so they established this code and it's just the same - only to some lesser informed employees it looks like: "Wow, they've written all these NICE things about me! They must be crazy!")
 
It is the same here. There is no law specifically stating that you have to be complimentary, but if you talk shit about someone to a prospective employer and they do not get the job, you - and your company - can be held liable. It's unusual, but any possibility of liability scares the shit out of most people, so most are careful not to say anything negative.

But there are ways to get the message across if the person was not a very good worker. I have to call references for potential employees often, and sometimes it goes like this --

"Hi, I'm calling because Charles Serking listed you as a reference on his resume. Says he worked there from 2/06 to 10/07."

"Um hm."

"So, he did work for you?"

"Yes. He worked here during that period of time."

"Was he a good employee?"

"He worked here."

"Was he a bad employee?"

"He worked here."

"Got it. Thanks."
 

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