Books are graded based on several key factors.

1. TRUE FIRST EDITION

Typically the most valuable books will be the most scarce. Often these are the true first editions. A True First Edition means it is the absolute first time the book was ever in print. Older books written in English were often printed in England. But there can also be first editions printed in other languages. A great example from my collection is the Bucaniers of America. The First True Edition was printed in Dutch in 1678. The First Spanish Edition in 1682, the first English in 1684, French in 1686 and so on. Typically the old english books are the most valuable to collectors from the USA, because most collectors want books they can read as not everyone can speak French or Dutch. However, die hard collectors often look to find the True First Edition in any language and then the first edition in English. I will say that sometimes the second edition of a book is the most desirable from a standpoint of content. Often 2nd editions have type corrections & contain more maps and plates. In some rare instances the second edition can be more valuable than the first edition.

2. COMPLETE COPY

Collectors must always look to verify that a book is complete. Old books can often be missing key pages. This can be something as simple as end papers or as extreme as the title page or maps & plates. Of course an incomplete book is priced less than a complete copy and as thus will never reach the full value of a complete copy. It’s not uncommon for a collector to purchase an incomplete copy of a very rare book and use that book as a place holder in a collection until a complete copy becomes available and is secured. In early books, maps were occasionally left out of some copies. Also in the old days, family members with no interest in books inherited libraries and often these books were stripped of the maps and plates which were framed for display in homes or sold. In very rare books, incomplete copies are often bought by collectors in hopes that another incomplete copy will be found and the two books combined to form a "made-up” complete copy.