CONDITION
Condition generally refers to the state of a book's binding, as the binding receives and shows much more wear than do the pages. Descriptions give the overall state of the book, then the state of the dust jacket, if any: "vg/g", for example. "vg/--" or "vg/nodj" describes a book without a dust jacket. A comment on "contents" doesn't imply any remark on the book's subject matter--it merely means the pages of a book, as opposed to the binding.
new or as new: Brand-new. Usually a remainder, or a used book in mint condition.
fine: Almost mint condition.
nf: Near fine. Almost mint with a very few slight scuffs, spots, or nicks.
vg: Very good. With light wear for the book's age.
good: Average wear for the book's age, but still in respectable condition.
fair: Somewhat shabby.
poor: Shabby with shabby, dirty, yellowed, or brittle pages. A book with
poor binding but good pages is a binding copy (see next).
BC: (re)binding copy, a book with pages in good+ condition but whose binding is hopeless.
1/2 binding: cloth- or leather-bound on spine only
3/4 binding: cloth- or leather-bound on spine and corners
Full binding: Entire binding is cloth- or leather-bound
ABBREVIATIONS
B/D: Books on Demand, publisher which reprints to order from microfilm
Bibl: Bibliography
BN: Bibliothèque Nationale
BPH: Bureau des Publications historiques
Broché: Paperback, usually French, with flimsy or uncoated paper cover, intended
to be hardbound to the owner's specificationsCDU: Centre de Documentation universitaire
CNRS: Centre national de la Recherche scientifique
Dj: Dust jacket
Ex-lib: Ex-library copy with library markings
Facs: Facsimile
Foxing: Brown age spots/stains on paper, common in 19th-century books
Hbk: Hardback book; usually full cloth binding
Imp: Imprimerie
IN: Imprimerie nationale
LCB: Full library cloth binding
Min bkw: Minimal bookworm damage; 1 or 2 pinhead-sized holes in binding, usually at hinges
OP: Out of print in the USA
Pbk: Paperback, trade (with glossy cardstock cover) as opposed to broché
PUF: Presses universitaires de France
Repr: Reprint(ed)
RLB: 3/4 red leather binding on black cloth boards, modern, excellent condition except
where noted, from collection of Prof. Ray E. CubberlySER: Société des Etudes robespierristes
SHRF: Société d'Histoire de la Révolution française
Sl bkw: Slight bookworm damage, up to half a dozen pinhead-sized holes in binding
UL: Underlining and/or markings, other than library marks
