MyWingsBooks - Spine and Corner Bumps Illustrated

Condition Grading Books with Spine and Corner Bumps

Images of damage to an upper spine, ranged from best (#1, upper left) to worst (#9, lower right).

Bumped spines of very good to fine books.

Assuming that the spine is representative of the condition of the rest of the book, here is how I would rate these books:

1. Fine (no bumping damage at all)
2. Near Fine
3. Very Good
4. Very Good
5. Very Good (this spine shows light fraying in addition to bumping)

In addition to being bumped, all the books in this second picture show fraying to a greater or lesser extent. I would describe these as follows:

6. Good
7. Good
8. Fair. Top of spine completely frayed.
9. Poor. Sizing is gone from cloth spine, and there is a 1/2 inch tear at the top of the spine. This last book is a good example of the damage that can occur when the upper lip of the spine is used to pull a book from the shelf.

Images of damage to corners, ranged with the best (no damage) at top left.

	1. Fine. Corners are perfectly square and undamaged. 2. Very Good. Corners are perfectly square but somewhat worn. 3. Very Good. Corners are lightly bumped, but paper is completely intact. 4. Good. One corner is bent, the other frayed.
	5. Fair. Corners well-bumped, edges worn, cover appears bowed. 6. Fair. Corners bumped and worn; edges of cover worn. 7. Fair. Corners bumped and frayed; edges of cover worn.