Information in this section comes from discussions held on the Modern Library e-Mail Discussion Group; from articles elsewhere on ModernLib; from outside sources of Modern Library information such as the Price Guide, the fanzine Modern Library Collector, and assorted books, biographies, and magazine articles; from e-mails the editor has exchanged over the years with other Modern Library collectors and specialist dealers; and from the sodden depths of the editor's own depraved mind. Special thanks to John Krygier who reviewed nearly every FAQ entry and commented on many of them.
Please e-mail the editor with corrections, and suggestions for additions and improvements.
For information on book collecting in general (the rules of which generally apply to Modern Library collecting), see Steve Trussel's excellent Website Books and Book Collecting. For a pretty good glossary of book collecting terms, see the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America. For another excellent illustrated glossary of terms including book faults, see My Wings Books Illustrated Glossary of Book Collecting Terms.
- General Information
- First Editions
- Dust Jackets
- Bindings
- Book Blocks
- The Guide
- Dealing with eBay
- All About ModernLib
General Information
- What is The Modern Library?
- Are Modern Library books expensive to collect?
- How much is my copy of < any title> worth?
- How do you know that a book is from the Modern Library series?
- How many collectible books are in the Modern Library?
- What are the toughest Modern Library titles to find?
- What's the proper way to collect the Modern Library series?
- I've heard that, to keep them pristine, I shouldn't read books from my collection.
- Where should I look for Modern Library titles?
- Is a Modern Library title ever abridged?
- Was the same title number ever used more than once?
- What's a Modern Library pirated edition?
- Are the Everyman series and Modern Library series related?
- Is there a Modern Library chat room or bulletin board?
- What are other sources of Modern Library information?
- What is a Toledano number?
First Editions
- What's a "First Catalog" issue?
- What does "First Edition" mean in the Modern Library world?
- How can you tell if a book is a first Modern Library edition?
- Which first editions/first printings had ISBN numbers on their dust jackets?
- Are any second edition copies worth more than first editions?
Dust Jackets
- Do all Modern Library books come with dust jackets?
- What's the importance of the title list that appears on the inverse of some dust jackets?
- Is the "number of titles" count that sometimes appears on the back panel reliable?
- Does a dust jacket's style indicate anything?
- Has there ever been a "generic" Modern Library dust jacket?
Bindings
- Why does the same title sometimes appear in both giant and regular bindings?
- What is "Limp Croft Leather?"
- What is "Balloon Cloth?"
- What is a Blumenthal binding?
- What is "Keratol?"
- What does "transitional binding" refer to?
- What are Buckrams?
- Were there any leather-bound Modern Library editions?
- Were there any Boni & Liveright hardbound titles?
- Do unusual bindings increase a book's value?
Book Blocks
- Does the endpaper style mean anything?
- What's the meaning of a star or "H" stamped on the endpapers?
- Did any titles have unique endpapers?
- Are the catalogs sometimes found at the back of the book block important?
- What's the importance of front-of-book catalogs?
The Guide
- I keep hearing about "The Guide." What is it?
- How current is The Guide?
- Which Do I believe When The Guide & ModernLib Are in Conflict?
- Does ModernLib get royalties on the sale of The Guide?
Dealing with eBay
- Is eBay a good place to sell ML books that I no longer want?
- What's a good way to search for Modern Library titles on eBay?
- How can I be sure I won't be disappointed in my eBay book?
- What should a complete Modern Library book description include?
- Are there Modern Library sellers on eBay who are consistently reliable?
- What sellers on eBay should I avoid?
- Should I notify the seller if I see an error in a book listing?
All About ModernLib
- How Reliable Is the Info in ModernLib?
- What does ModernLib cover?
- Where does ModernLib's content come from?
- Does ModernLib cover all Modern Library books?
- Why did ModernLib start to begin with?
- How did ModernLib get its original name (Dogeared) and why did it change?
- Does ModernLib accept advertising?
- Does ModernLib accept donations?
- Does it cost anything to use ModernLib?
- Do I have to be a contributor to ask questions about the Modern Library?
- Does ModernLib sell Modern Library books?
- Who's the guy behind ModernLib?
