It was once the case that if you were an antiquarian book collector you would have to go hours on hours trawling through dusty book shops to locate the rare out of print books that you were looking for. These days, just about anything you are looking for will be found with ease on the internet. Maybe some of the magic has gone, but for folk who don’t have the time or the cash to track down the antique rare books they desire in person, then online browsing is the perfect choice.

Bearing in mind the growing popularity of antiquarian books and antique rare books on the web, there are several of choices for buying them. You can try to find antiquarian books on popular online auction sites like eBay, purchasing them. you may use an internet site which specializes in rare out of print books.

An good thing about buying antiquarian books from auction uBid, is that you can find it easier to get a good deal. However, there will also be a smaller selection of antiquarian books on sale, and you may need to hang about for the sale to end before you can buy them. If you decide to buy online, then read the seller’s feedback to ensure they are credible. Otherwise you could find you don’t get exactly what you’re looking for.

If you buy rare out of print books from a website selling antiquarian books then you want to be ready to check the listings to make sure you are getting exactly what you are purchasing. From the start make sure that you’re getting the edition you are after. Generally speaking the 1st editions are usually the most sought after, though there might be other editions that have something special about them like drawings, or a novel binding. There are other indications to tell you about the quality of the antique rare book. Here’s a list of useful terms to help you in your search:

aeg – All Edges Gilt. Frequently the page edges would be gilded to prevent browning.
Casebound – A book which has a hardcover.
Clothbound – A book which has a cloth cover.
Dust Jacket/Cover/Wrapper – The paper covering the boards of a book in hardback.
Embossing – Some books have embossed illustrations or decorations.
Ex Library (ex-lib) – A book that’s been in a library so has stickers or markings. Not as valuable.
Facsimile – A book that exactly copies an original or earlier version.
Foxed – Some discoloration of the book’s pages, usually in the form of spots that are brownish in color.
Frontispiece – illustration opposite the title page.
Gutter – The white space between two pages opposite each other.
IP – In print.
OOP – Out of print.
Shaken – The binding is loose.
Softcover – Paperback.
teg – Top Edge Gilt.

When looking for antique rare books, you should also be aware of the indicators of condition:
F/VG – Fine book, very good jacket.
F – Fine, Like New
VG – Very Good
G -Good
FR – Fair
P – Poor

Now with this info concerning rare out of print books, you should begin purchasing antiquarian books confident you will get a fine deal.