Seeking Advice: Possible Book Defect?

[slayn666]

Ron, you raise a point about improper shelving. My Salem's Lot gift edition looks pretty similar to the above photo (apart from the page block coming away from that back board) and all I ever did was put it on a shelf. Is there something I should do to elevate the book or tilt it? I came to the same conclusion you outlined above--heavy book block just pulling away from the spin over time.

Here's what Camelot did with their lettered editions of Speaks the Nightbird a book notorious for this kind of separation:

...to help protect them from further damage we went through all of them, slid them in the slipcase backwards, put them in protective bags, and laid them on their spine for storage so the weight of the pages is not causing any more damage.

[Dan Hocker]

This looks like a classic case of a "broken spine" to me. If you open it up, does it open further than you would expect? Far enough that if you find the middle of a signature you can see how it's bound together?

[jeffingoff]

I have the same book, and mine doesn’t look like that. What you have is a big book with a heavy page block that has been improperly/lazily shelved, and the block is being pulled down by its weight because it’s unsupported. Not unusual, and I suspect we all have books like that in our collection. BUT as Martin points out, that last pic shows the beginning of separation between block and board, and I’d be concerned about that continuing.

So I wouldn’t call that a defect, more like wear on the book caused by a thick page block in a tall book, and shelving/storage that left a lot to be desired. Keep in mind the binding is sewn, not glued, so nothing has become detached, per se. But I suspect the entire book now feels a bit “loose.” If you got it for a good deal, I wouldn’t bother trying to send it back, but if you paid market price, yeah I’d be displeased, too.

If this was an eBay sale, you may have difficulty winning your case if the seller doesn’t want to take it back, as there’s no true defect. I would play up that last photo and show the beginning of the separation...that might help.

Really sorry to hear this Grail didn’t work out for you...that kind of letdown is especially disappointing.

Ron, you raise a point about improper shelving. My Salem's Lot gift edition looks pretty similar to the above photo (apart from the page block coming away from that back board) and all I ever did was put it on a shelf. Is there something I should do to elevate the book or tilt it? I came to the same conclusion you outlined above--heavy book block just pulling away from the spin over time.

[RonClinton]

I have the same book, and mine doesn’t look like that. What you have is a big book with a heavy page block that has been improperly/lazily shelved, and the block is being pulled down by its weight because it’s unsupported. Not unusual, and I suspect we all have books like that in our collection. BUT as Martin points out, that last pic shows the beginning of separation between block and board, and I’d be concerned about that continuing.

So I wouldn’t call that a defect, more like wear on the book caused by a thick page block in a tall book, and shelving/storage that left a lot to be desired. Keep in mind the binding is sewn, not glued, so nothing has become detached, per se. But I suspect the entire book now feels a bit “loose.” If you got it for a good deal, I wouldn’t bother trying to send it back, but if you paid market price, yeah I’d be displeased, too.

If this was an eBay sale, you may have difficulty winning your case if the seller doesn’t want to take it back, as there’s no true defect. I would play up that last photo and show the beginning of the separation...that might help.

Really sorry to hear this Grail didn’t work out for you...that kind of letdown is especially disappointing.

[Martin]

Not an expert but it looks like the book block has separated from the cover.

[jeffingoff]

Upon more inspection, I'm not liking the way the page block is pulling away from the back board. The spine part doesn't bother me, but the way that back endpaper is being tested makes me worry.

[jeffingoff]

I'm not an expert. And I see defects everywhere I look. So take this just as one of (hopefully) many takes on your issue, but I think your book is fine and not damaged. I'll say it looks like it's been read a couple times, but I think the headbands pulling away like that are supposed to perform that way. But see what others say because I'm a moron.

[Sock Monkey]

Hey, all! I’m looking for a little input from the forum in regards to a recent purchase I made that looks like there might be some damage to it.

I recent picked up the Centipede Press book, THE AUTOPSY & OTHER STORIES By Michael Shea. This is one of my all time almost Holy Grail books and was excited when I was finally able to get a copy off eBay.

Once my copy arrived, I inspected it and it looks like the headband on the book has become detached. It also looks like the pages of the book are bowing out slightly.

I’m rather bummed as it wasn’t a cheap purchase and if this is a defect/damage, it wasn’t noted in the listing.

I’ve included some pictures below, including one of the bottom of the book to show the difference. I’d appreciate any thoughts or comments on this.