📖 Old and second-hand books: identifying the edition and assessing condition

A book sells according to its edition, condition and provenance far more than according to its text. This guide applies to the books in your catalogue, notably works on esotericism and astrology: an ancient text such as Ptolemy's (the Tetrabiblos) exists in countless editions and translations, and an old text does not make an old copy. Here is how to identify the edition of a French book and assess its condition.

1. Original edition, first printing, copy

• The original edition is the first publication of a text in the form considered.
• The first printing is the first production run of that edition: the same edition can have several printings. The copy is the book you hold, with its binding, condition, marks and provenance.
• An edition that keeps the original typesetting remains the first edition even if it is a second printing. A book first published in hardcover and then in paperback is also a first edition, called "first edition thus".
• An old date or the words "first edition" are not enough to prove an original edition.

2. Record everything that is printed

• Photograph the cover, spine, title page and its back, the print-run statement, the colophon, the table of contents, the last pages and the binding.
• Transcribe exactly: author, title, publisher, place and date as printed; series, number, ISBN and edition statement; colophon date, legal deposit, printer and print-run number; page count, plates and any errata; dedication, bookplate, stamp, signature or annotations.
• Do not rely on the cover alone: it may have been replaced or remounted with another book block, and do not copy the seller's text.

3. Read the colophon

• The colophon (achevé d'imprimer) is a text placed at the start or end of the book. It states in particular the completion date of the print run, the printer's name and address, the legal deposit date and the country of origin.
• In France, the law makes it a mandatory mention, linked to legal deposit. For older works, the term "colophon" is still sometimes used.
• These mentions are clues: they do not prove by themselves that the volume has not been reassembled, rebound or completed.

4. Compare with a reliable record

• Search for the author and title in the BnF's general catalogue and compare publisher, date, page count, format and notes. A record does not always describe every state of a print run.
• Complete with the specialised bibliography of the author, publisher or genre. For an important book, ask an antiquarian bookseller or an expert to confirm the distinguishing points on the copy.
• "Edition points" (a misprint, a cover variant) apply to a specific book and cannot be generalised to a whole publisher: note the source of each point.

5. Assess condition separately

• Completeness: pages, plates, maps, cover, wrapper band. A gap can dominate the whole value.
• Binding: original, later or restored; state of the joints and headcaps.
• Paper: foxing, washing, tears, damp, smell.
• Provenance: dedication, bookplate, stamp, library. A dedication is not automatically genuine: compare the handwriting, ink, recipient and date. A printed, tipped-in or unattributable signature adds no certain value.

⚠️ Watch out for

• A very common or incomplete original edition may be worth less than a fine later illustrated edition: identification does not replace valuation.
• For an ancient or classic text (such as the Tetrabiblos), check which translation and edition it is before imagining a value: the title alone says nothing about the copy.
• Compare completed sales of the same bibliographic and physical state, not asking prices. For a valuable book or dedication, have the copy examined by an expert.

Sources : Margeo (authentifier une édition originale française) · Office québécois de la langue française (achevé d'imprimer) · Everand (comment savoir si un livre est une première édition)

Updated on Oct 6, 2026. These pointers are indicative and do not replace an expert's opinion: for a valuable piece, have it appraised.