So I just bought a brand new book.  I haven't read it yet.  I was just adding it to my TBR list.  It was a reissue of an OOP WL book. THey used the same ISBN. I notice it isn't WL so I put it on reminder to see how many are posted.  There's 21 in the system. So I was going to post the book since my shelf is on hold and let it works it way up FIFO.  I'll read it on our cross country trek.  

Well I'm flipping through it and it looks perfect, brand new, because it's never been read.  But then I noticed that I can see the clue on the inside of the front and back cover.  I personally wouldn't complain if I received this book. But I'm worried someone else might.  The spine isn't cracked.  I have several books like this.  There's no spots between the pages, it's always the covers.  Does this fall under being "cleaved" or "seperated"?  Or does it full under the cheaply made book category?  (I'm thinking about putting it my purse w/the receipt, going to Walmart where I bought it and seeing if they're all like this and asking to exchange the book if the others aren't this way).

I would classify it under the cheaply made books. It doesn't sound cleaved by my definition. Cleaved to me is when the book has cracked into more than one chunk of the book. Separated to me also doesn't mean just seeing glue, but parts of the book no longer attached where they are supposed to be. I would probably post the book, and if someone said it was separated, I would tell them that I had bt the book new and that was the way it was made. That is, of course, all my opinion and I have seen others define any visible glue as being cleaved or separated and think it is unpostable. I would definitely try to exchange it if posible to avoid the posible conflict.

I agree with Melanie.  I would classify that as cheaply made, not cleaved or separated.  I have gotten several brand new books that seem to have excess glue visible when you open the front or back covers.  As long as there isn't anything else wrong with the book, I woud go ahead and post it.

I'm going to say it's cheaply made, as you purchased it at Walmart.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist).

"Cleaved" books are two distinct pieces; but, were it my book, I'd go back to the store to look into exchanging it, too.

I'm wondering if the way they bind books now is different from before. I've noticed that the pages often aren't bound to each other any more, but just directly to the binding. (Not sure if I'm making sense here.) So I'm finding that where the binding creases that you can see the binding. But the binding is strong and the pages firmly attached.

I'm thinking that we need to re-think "separation" of the binding. On my old books, the pages were adhered together at the binding, and if it separates it's quite noticeable because the binding just isn't as flexible, so the binding is clearly weakening. I'm not seeing that with newer PPB's. I think that the adhesive method they're using is vastly different.

hope Wal-Mart will exchange it for you but, I am doubting that will happen as I tried to do that once with a book that I purchased there and they said as far as books they are an "as is" item and that they are not returnable, exchangeable, etc.

Books are being really shabbily made these days.  It's very disappointing.

hope Wal-Mart will exchange it for you but, I am doubting that will happen as I tried to do that once with a book that I purchased there and they said as far as books they are an "as is" item and that they are not returnable, exchangeable, etc.

Hmm.  I wonder if that's just that particular store's policy, as I have returned books to my local Wally World before w/o any problems.

yeah Dawn...I'm wondering if that isn't the case, this one can get picky at times....the time I had problems I argued with them and called management because there is no sign or policy posted there saying these items are "as is...not returnable or exchangeable" and when I threatened to call the head office in Bentonville they kind of changed their tune...

Although the two major chains allow returns, most indie stores will only allow an exchange for store credit, to avoid the game of buying a popular (new) book, reading it carefully, and returning it for cash a few days later.

In thinking about this further, the best person to ask about the book condition (damaged or not?) would be an indie bookstore owner/manager, rather than Wal Mart staff.

Sounds postable to me.  I agree that it's the way books are constructed these days.