Finding Quality Books

If you've ever tried to scour a secondhand bookstore to look for quality books, you know they can be difficult to find. The magazines are behind you, beside comic books and other graphic novels. In a table in the middle of the bookstore are children's books. Before you, you see plies of books in different stages of being worn-out, stacked column by column on every shelf. They are not arranged by title or by author, but by size and cover type. The hardcover ones are on the left, the mass market paperbacks on the right, and the trade paperbacks in between the two. You notice some general method of categorization. There are the self-help books in one column, cookbooks in another, almanacs, atlases, and dictionaries here, and medical and other health-related tomes there. But what do you do now?Finding used books that are still in good condition takes more than just scanning the spines you see before you. Though it can be tough to pull out a title at the very bottom of a stacked c
olumn, this is the only way to ensure its quality. Inspect the merchandise, as they call it. If it's a hardcover, check the dust jacket, and see if the edges are torn or folded. Check the cover itself, especially if it's a paperback novel. You don't want them wrinkly because of careless handling by the previous owner. You at least do not want it to be too wrinkly, making the cover almost unrecognizable. Afterwards, inspect the pages by flipping through them. Are the corners dog-eared? Are there writings or doodles or any other stains on them? If there are and you really are intrigued by the book or maybe you have been desperately looking for the title for a set you have been vigorously collecting, then those minor aberrations may be forgivable. What isn't however, and the worst you may probably see, are torn pages. You must also check the price. Sometimes you'd find titles that are already 10% or less of their original price, but are still quality books. They may have been i
n the bookstore too long with no one purchasing them that they need to be sold immediately. You get a steal if you find such low-priced titles that are still in good condition.Online, it may be just a little tougher to find quality books. You don't get to check the merchandise until they are shipped to you. At times, you could pick them up in a book shop near your place. There's a chance the online store owner would accept returns and exchanges, but you should be made aware of their terms and conditions beforehand to double-check on their policies. Make sure to find online stores that explicitly state in their FAQs that they allow returns and exchanges. If their website does not express it or it's vague and you've found a really good title in their selection, go ahead and ask. Reading and a hint of meticulousness will be your best allies in such cases.

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