Out of curiosity, when hunting for used books, what are some of the physical flaws/defects do you compromise with or find acceptable enough to purchase?
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Now regarding my post, I'm asking because I recently received in the mail a trade paperback copy of The Lies of Locke Lamora. The item's condition was described as "Very Good", which is accurate in regards to the actual pages. However, the spine is terribly broken and the front cover has several creases and bent corners.
Interestingly enough, I find the creases to be personally forgivable, but on the same token find myself running my finger over the broken spine repeatedly, grimacing. To answer my own question, a spine in terribly poor condition is basically where I draw the line when making a purchasing decision. On top of all of that, the image from the production description does not match the image of the actual book I received. Both are nice covers, but that's beside the point.
I got a good deal on the book, under the false assumption that the description would be accurate. Now I'm debating whether to disregard the item description inaccuracies and keep the book, or to return it. Apparently, the TPB version of this title is a bit hard to come by, as I prefer it over the more dense and compact mass-market PB, which is complicating my decision. My current plan is to see if the book is available at the local used bookstores and return the broken-spine book if I find one in better condition. Thoughts?
