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Foundation Member of the
Bookdealers Guild of NSWAfter fifteen years we no longer have a shop front, having closed our 'bricks and mortar" business in Parramatta at the end of June, 2008. It was sad saying goodbye to so many great customers who we feel we have come to know well over all those years.
We will continue to maintain a data-base of all our books and this will be kept as up to date and accurate as possible. We invite you to order or enquire about books on our web site.
We will be selling in future only on-line (on ABE.com) and at book fairs.
Our first book fair was at Uralla, NSW in September (2008) and we really enjoyed this event. Our programme for this year will include country locations in NSW (Bowral - October) and Victoria (Clunes - May) and we will keep you informed of other book fairs that we are attending. We would be really pleased to see any of our old customers from Parramatta at these fairs.
Please note we have a P.O. Box for snail mail and a mobile number for telephone contact, in addition to the web site e-mail address.
We look forward to maintaining contact with all the book buyers who supported us so loyally over so many years. Until then we wish you GOOD READING as always.
Best wishes Barbara & Bill
The Terms We Use and What They Mean
Binding
H/C: hard cover book
D/W or D/J: dust wrapper or dust jacket (the paper cover around a hardcover book)
P/B: paperback
S/C: anything with a paper cover that is larger than a regular p/b size fiction bookCondition
Mint: as new, where the book is the same condition as it was when it was first published.
Fine: almost as new, just not quite as immaculate as mint.
Very good: the book shows some slight signs of wear but with no tears, stains or defects.
Good: average used book with all pages present, the D/W may be a little edge-worn or have small repaired tears.
Fair: the text is complete but the book may lack endpapers and the binding is worn
Reading copy: the text will be complete but there may be loose pages, the hinges may be broken and the cover stained or soiled.Other Terms
Bibliography: list of books used by the author in researching the book and/or a list of recommended reading if you want to learn more about the topic.
B/w: black and white illustrations and photographs
Book Club: a cheaper edition than the original often with poorer quality paper.
Endpapers: the sheet that is half glued inside the cover and the other half left free. The ffep is the front facing endpaper i.e .the first blank page you see in the book unless the endpapers are printed in which case it is half of the design or map or whatever is printed on the endpaper.
Foxing: the brown spots that develop with age in a book.
Gilt edge: gold paint to the edge of the pages, sometimes just on the top.
Half title: this is the page following the ffep that has the title of the book and sometimes a brief description. A favourite spot for inscriptions.
Index: alphabetical listing of the contents of the book, usually at the end.
Inscription: anything written at the front of the book, often a message from the giver of the book, sometimes just a name.
Limited edition: a special edition usually not a large number printed, sometimes with a special binding and often numbered or signed and numbered.
n.d.: no date: most books include a publication date either on the front or reverse of the title page but some have no date listed.
Title page: the page following the half title providing the author, title, illustrator and publication details.