Customer Service

I strive for total customer satisfaction with every sale. All my inventory is guaranteed as presented in my listing. Each customer is important to me, so customer service is THE top priority. All my titles will ship within strictly defined time periods, and tracking will always be provided for your convenience. I ship worldwide, and encourage International buyers. Although I mostly ship by USPS, other shipping arrangement can be made, as requested. Insurance is always available for even the smallest of purchases, and is sometimes required for the larger valued items. Please feel free to ask about these Terms of Service if something is not clear.

We use standard publishing criteria to determine the condition of every book we sell and we guarantee the accuracy of our descriptions. When 2 conditions are listed (e.g., very fine/fine), the first is for the book jacket and the second is for the book. For those not familiar with the terminology of book conditions, here is a glossary we use:

AS NEW (aka PRISTINE or MINT): To be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. There can be no defects, no missing pages, no library stamps, etc., and the dust jacket (if it was issued with one) must be perfect, without any tears. (The term As New is preferred over the alternative term Mint to describe a copy that is perfect in every respect, including jacket.) The term PRISTINE is sometimes used as proxy to AS NEW or MINT.

VERY FINE: Approaches the condition of As New, however may have one or two qualifications, which should be noted. The book must be crisp and just shy of As New condition. Any imperfection should be minor and non-distracting to the viewer.

FINE: Approaches the condition of As New, but without being crisp. For the use of the term there must also be no defects, etc., and if the jacket has a small tear, or other defect, or looks worn, this should be noted. Sunning or clipped covers should be noted.

NEAR FINE: Close to Fine condition, however may have some describable imperfections and surface wear, especially on the cover boards or dust jacket. Binding must be near perfect and pages crisp. Sunning and page wear must be considered.

VERY GOOD: Can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear – but no tears – on either binding or paper. Any defects must be noted.

GOOD: Describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted.

FAIR: A worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc. may also be worn. All defects must be noted. POOR: Describes a book that is sufficiently worn that its only merit is as a Reading Copy because it does have the complete text, which must be legible. Any missing maps or plates should still be noted. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc.

EX-LIBRARY: Copies must always be designated as such no matter what the condition of the book.

BOOK CLUB: Editions must always be noted as such no matter what the condition of the book.

BINDING COPY: Describes a book in which the pages or leaves are perfect but the binding is very bad, loose, off, or nonexistent.

DUST JACKET: In all cases, the lack of a dust jacket should be noted if the book was issued with one.

SIGNED: Describes a book that has been signed by the artist, writer, or publisher. Some sellers describe the ink, quality, or method of signing. A signed book-mark may also be considered as Signed.

NUMBERED: Describes a book of a limited print run. Typically this is hand written on the Colophon of the book, or the title page.

SEALED: A book that is still under publisher’s wraps, which is usually a cellophane or plastic wrapping.

OPENED ONLY FOR SIGNATURE: Sometimes publishers seal book prior to the artist’s signing them. In these cases, the plastic wrapping that seals the book is carefully opened to allow the artist to sign (and number) the book, and then is replaced and taped sealed.

INSCRIBED COPY: Describes a book that has been signed to a specific person, gallery, or institution. Inscribed books are generally treated as Signed, but not valued as much.

Questions or comments? Contact me at info@topchoicebooks.com or call (617) 424-9726 anytime. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the website, all comments are warmly welcomed.

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