MARK'S VINTAGE PAPERBACKS
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Collecting Paperback Books

Anything that has ever been produced will probably be collected someday. Collecting is a passion to some of us, a business to others.

Book collecting has been around for many, many years. Most of us started gathering books for the pleasure of reading, while other collectors collect the books for their condition and would never read them, therby degrading the condition. Those of us who love to do both will end up buying 2 copies, one for reading and one for collecting. Books can be one of the most interesting and exciting collections you can own.

Paperback books have also increased in value in the past 20 years. There are now paperbacks that are 50 years old. Here's an example:

Some readers collect a certain author, or maybe a certain genre (such as Humor). Some adventerous collectors will try and get every book a certain Publisher has published.

Whatever your reason for collecting books, Paperback Books can be a great place to start. They are much less expensive than their hardbound counterparts, and yet no less valuable to those who collect paperbacks. Paperbacks also are great for reliving history through their cover art and many books were published only in paperback editions.

HOW TO START COLLECTING PAPERBACK BOOKS

A good place to start is your own home. Look around at what you have on your shelves. What type of books do you like to read ? What genre interests you the most ? Then head to your second hand store, garage sales etc. for some great buys to get you started. Or, buy what you need right here! We offer quality paperbacks, rated so you know what you're getting.

Always try and get a First Edition of whatever you are collecting, and avoid Reprints. Reprints are only worth about half of the original printing.

Several good books are available on paperback collecting. One that I use in pricing some of my paperbacks for sale is :

HOW TO SUCCEED AS A PAPERBACK COLLECTOR

From : Huxford’s Paperback Value Guide

Reasons for Collecting: People collect paperbacks for a wide variety of reasons. Some collect books by a particular author. You might choose to become a collector of the novels of Earl Stanley Gardner or Agatha Christie, for instance, and you may or may not decide to expand your collection to include titles written under the pseudonyms used by the particular author you've chosen. Some collectors focus on cover art and illustrations by such artists as James Avati, Jeff Jones, or Frank Frazeta.

On the other hand, topic may be the deciding factor. Sexology and erotica are often avidly sought by collectors. Personally, you may want to zero in on other Genre: mystery. television or movie tie-ins, Westerns, historical adventures, horror, crime, detective stories, or science fiction.

Some collections are based on titles from a particular publisher and may be directed toward collecting everything that company has published. Often they may focus on low-number series such as 'the first 500 Avons,'.....

As a collector, you might find yourself fascinated (as I am) with the histories of obscure paperback houses and join the group of paperback collectors who are also historians and bibliographers. As you can see, collectors come with all sorts of interests and motivations, yet still there are many potentially 'collectible' books around that can be bought at reasonable prices.

How To Recognize a Collectible Paperback: Perhaps we need to distinguish between 'collectible' and 'valuable.' There are many interesting books that actually have little market value, yet for one reason or another they catch your eye. Who knows, if you're lucky, you may find yourself a 'pioneer' in some new corner of the field. What makes a paperback valuable? Like most, the paperback market is driven by forces of supply and demand. But because demand depends on so many overlapping factors, there is no easy formula for determining value. In fact. were we to take all of the complexities of evaluation into account, a guide of this sort would be a virtual impossibility. As it is, any price guide is at best just that, a guide. It can't replace the accumulated knowledge that gives paperback 'experts' an edge. But you can go a long way in this game simply by following a few basic principles.

There are, as I suggested above, lots of reasons for a book to be interesting to the collector -cover art, author, publisher, genre. and so forth. A book that exhibits several desirable factors is likely to be more valuable than one..... . All things being equal, a scarce book will be more valuable than a common one, but certainly this is not always true. For instance, a scarce book on roller derby might not generate as much demand as a more common erotic title, simply because it holds the interest of only a handful of collectors.

The same terms apply to the criteria of age. In general, older books are more interesting to collectors, and older printings are more desirable. Paperback originals - books that never appeared in a hardcover edition - are the 'first editions' of the paperback world with interest in paperback printings following closely behind. But other factors may upset this simple rule of thumb. Certainly a signed second printing may be more valuable than an unsigned first. And a later edition with particuIarly fine cover art may generate greater demand. If there is a single trick to finding valuable paperbacks, it is learning enough to begin to see which books are interesting in various, multiple ways.......

To Sum It Up: There is no way to succeed in collecting paperbacks except to play the game for awhile and learn the rules. If you stick with it, keep your eyes and ears open, and aren't put off by the occasional bit of library research, you'll quickly find that you're accumulating expertise. You'Il know the 'look' of a collecable paperback. and you’ll develop a collection of importart names - authors, titles, artists, publishers. etc - that will do you good service at the oddest of times. That's much of the joy of collecting books.........

Contributed by Shawn P Wilbur. %Paupers Books. 206 N Main St.. Bowling Green, OH 43402-2420

Any questions or comments, just Email me

GRADING PAPERBACK BOOKS

Knowing the condition of the paperback you are buying is essential to collecting, as mentioned in the Collecting Paperback Books section. The list below is a scale that has been used for many years by myself and other paperback collectors. I originally found it in the book "The Paperback Price Guide #2"by Kevin Hancer. All books sold on this Web site follow this grading scale. When selling your own books, please try to use this scale or one similiar. It makes it easier for all collectors and sellers.

• NEAR MINT(NM) : As issued. The book is absolutely brand-new and perfect in every way.
• FINE PLUS (FN+) : Almost perfect. The cover will still be bright, crisp and unfaded, with only minor signs of wear.
• FINE (FN) : Slight wear is beginning to show. There may be some slight fading of the cover or spine, and possibly a very slight crease along the edge of the spine to indicate the book was carefully read once. No major signs of wear. Plastic lamination(if any) might be slightly chipped.
• FINE MINUS (FN-) : May have been read carefully several times, but the spine will still be very clean although slightly bent. The stress lines on the spine will be noticeable but still minor in nature. No creases or bends in the covers themselves. Pages will still be largely white or slightly browning. Lamination (if any) may be slightly peeling at the corners or other spots.Light wear, minor color flaking, or minor rubbing noticeable on extremities. Still a very nice copy.
• VERY GOOD PLUS(VG+) :A read copy, but very tight. Cover luster and gloss is showing wear but not gone. Slight bends and creases in cover. Pages are fresh, but tan or browning. Stress lines on spine are noticeable, but not severe. Minor wear spots, chipping and rubbing. No tears or splits in spine
• VERY GOOD (VG) : A read copy, but still fairly tight. Cover lustre and gloss is largely gone. Plastic laminate (if any) is noticeably peeling in spots. Some bends and creases in the cover. Pages fairly fresh but browning. Spine is bent from several readings but not broken or torn. Wear spots, chipping and rubbing is noticeable but not major. No tears in the spine and no tape repairs. Minor spine splits are noticeable at top and bottom.
• VERY GOOD MINUS(VG-) :The average copy but still complete with no pages missing. Cover has bends, creases, and is faded. Spine possibly splitting on either end but still intact. Slight roll to spine is possible. Minor tears could be present on some pages. No pieces of cover missing.
• GOOD PLUS (G+) :Heavily read copy. Complete and readable. Small tears in cover or pages is likely. Roll to spine is possible. Spine may be loose with tears on either end. Stamps or writing in book is possible. Cover has bends, creases, and is faded. Possible price sticker damage on cover.
• GOOD(G) :Very heavily read and possibly soiled, but still complete and readable. Torn cover or pages is likely, as is a rolled spine. Spine heavily creased with possible small pieces missing from each end. Definite tears at top and bottom of spine. Stamps or writing in book is possible. This is a reading copy only and is the minimal rating we will sell or buy.

NOTE : Condition grades are not on a sliding scale according to age. These grades are used equally no matter what the age of the book.

Any questions or comments, just Email me

DEFECTS IN PAPERBACKS

Front & Back Cover

• Darkening or fading - Covers will darken or have dark spots or fade overall due to sun exposure.
• Rubbing/Shelf Wear - The loss of gloss - can range from small spots to a total loss of gloss and some color.
• Creases/Bends - can have reading crease along the edge of the cover near the spine or corner creases.
• Lamination - older paperbacks contained a lamination on the cover. This tends to peel over time. Can be a minor flaking or total loss of lamination.
• Color Flaking - this is the loss of small pieces of the cover or spine from the book.
• Bumps - these are visible especially if you look at the cover at an angle to the light. These usually appear on book corners. At their most extreme, they would crease or warp the book from cover to cover. A mild bump may appear as a very slight bend with loss of sheen to the cover near the point of impact.
• Punched cover- actual hole punched in the cover
• Price tag or price tag removal damage
• Price blackout with a marker
• Ink markings on the cover
• Cover is warped from water damage or too tight a binding
• Corner clip - The removal of a triangular corner of the book cover
• Glass ring or cup ring marks - Visible on the covers of books carelessly used as coasters

Spine

• Stress lines/Creases - can be very slight stress lines all the way to severe crease resulting in loss of color and legibility.
• Tears - usually at the top or bottom of the spine - actual tears in the spine away from the cover.
• Rolled - The spine has been bent lengthwise and is not at right angles to the covers.
• Slant - the spine is leaning.
• Loose - pages are starting to come loose from the spine.
• Color Flaking - this is the loss of small pieces of the cover or spine from the book.
• Darkening or fading - Most commonly spines are faded by sun exposure.
• Rubbing/Shelf Wear - The loss of gloss - can range from small spots to a total loss of gloss and some color
• Broken - the spine is cracked or broken at a right angle to the spine.

Pages

• Edges - Marked with a marker, marked with a stamp, torn or cut, faded or water damage.
• Color - Darkening due to age. Can also become brittle as they darken.
• Missing pages
• Bent - at the corners usually.
• Writng on the pages
• Store Stamp - usually on the front end pages

Any questions or comments, just Email me

Caring for Your Paperbacks

Paperback books are subject to all the ills that effect all paper collections, and rare or collectible books should be protected from damage that could result in reducing their value.

All books should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. The paper on which most paperbacks were printed will get brown and brittle with age. Heat, humidity and light will also hasten the damage to books.

Some collectors use special plastic bags to protect paperback books. Be Careful ! Some plastic contains volatile substances that will result in more damage to the book than not placing it in the bag. Special protective covers are available just for books and paper collections. If you feel you need to store your collection this way, search out a paper restoration site or catalog.

Never try to save your book by spraying the outside with a protective coating, or taping up the spine. Both methods destroy the value of the book.

Any questions or comments, just Email me