If you have ever considered the prospect of taking up the hobby of antique or modern book collecting, or if you are already collecting but want to make better purchases, knowing and understanding the terminology used by book dealers both in online auction and e-commerce catalog settings will benefit your collection greatly.

Over the years I have acquired a great many titles both from online auction sites such as ebay.com, as well as online catalog sites such as abebooks and alibris. While I have had great success in both regards, it is important to note that buying through these two different channels should be approached differently.

While a search of an online auction site might reveal what looks to be an astounding opportunity to buy a prized title, even in first edition, for a fraction of it's value, buyer beware. It would be safe to estimate that in the modern fiction and non-fiction categories of online auction sites, sixty to eighty-percent of the volumes listed as first editions are not, in fact, true first editions. Gasp! No, this is not a problem of rampant fraud or unscrupulous sellers. Quite often in online auctions, sellers are selling outside their stronger categories and lack either the experience or inclination to go out and get the real scoop on the book they are selling. The moral of this story; Ask questions. Early and often. Ask them privately if possible, this keeps other prospective bidders from seeing the same information you are. An informed buyer is a smart buyer is a happy buyer.

Some commonly asked questions to online sellers are; Is there a price printed on the front jacket flap? Does the copyright page state "First Edition"? Is there a number line, and if so, could you type it exactly as it appears? Quite often the answers to one or all of these questions will determine if this is the edition you are looking for as a collector.

One other thing we should not overlook about online auction sites; If you do not really care whether your book is a first edition or highly collectable edition, the online auction sites are dirt cheap to pick up a copy of that title you just have to read! Often current titles can be had in Book Club Editions for as little as a penny plus shipping, if you know that as soon as you are done reading this book you will be shipping it off to your friend, local thrift shop or favorite charity, buy as cheap as possible. It's okay. No, really, it is.

When purchasing through an online catalogue type dealer, the chances that you will recieve exactly what it is that you think you are purchasing. The catch? Most often you will pay a considerably higher price for the assurity that the book you are spending your hard earned dollars on is truly the collectable gem you want or need it to be. Beware, however, of dealers who list books as "First Thus" and seem to leave out information that other dealers include in comparable listings. There still are, on rare occasion, catalogue listings which are deceptive through omission. The "First Thus" tag is often applied to books which are the first printing in paperback, the first edition by a new publisher, a new uncut edition (as in Stephen King's The Stand), or an edition with a new foreword, formatting, artwork,etc. While there is a place in book collecting for these sorts of variations, they do not often quality a new edition for true "First Edition" status.

How to read a dealer catalogue:

A dealer catalogue will typically offer a standard set of information about a title, followed by a more subjective description mostly pertaining to condition of the book, the history of the title perhaps a little note on historical relevance. Typically, a dealer catalogue will contain the following information:

Edition, however, may be a much more subjective term. Some dealers will list an updated edition as first thus, as they also will an edition that has been printed by a different publisher the first time. If you are collecting first editions, you will most often be looking to pick up true "First Editions", "First Trade Editions" (typically the first edition available on the open market, these are quite regularly the most collected editions), and "First Edition, First State" or "First Edition, First Printing" which basically means the original, first time the title was printed and made available to the public. There are many nuances to these basic rules, and as you delve deeper into the world of a bibliophile you no doubt learn the many terms.

A dealer may also list issue points in this portion of his listing, such as "A blind stamped top hat over a smoking revolver on the back", or, "typo on page 38 in which line 18 reads 'man-woman' instead of 'mad- woman'".

Notable features -- A presentation edition is a copy of a book that was given by the author as a gift to a significant person in his/her life. These are highly collectable editions, and often listed among the regular catalogue issues in online search engines.
An inscription is a copy of a book that was signed by the author. Inscribed copies may be found by searching for the following words/phrases (signed, inscribed and autographed). A dealer who lists a book as "inscribed" is probably the most experienced kind of dealer and the sort more likely to have an authentically inscribed book. BUYER BEWARE when it comes to purchasing and collecting inscribed and presentation editions.
An association copy is a book that was owned by an important or relevant person to the general concept of the book, or sometimes just a book that was owned by an important or famous person. Often you will find these books in clumps at library sales, thrift stores,etc.

Most of all, just try and have fun. Modern book collecting is an exciting and challenging hobby which can bring both intrinsic and financial gain. Sometimes the chase is more rewarding and educational than the prize.

Some interesting reading material for the new or seasoned book collector, check out these titles if you have not already: