Received a book today in perfect condition but, I always flip through my books before I mark them received...well, the last two pages have a 3 inch long section that is no longer attached to the spine.  Would you mark this RWAP?

I would not mark it RWP.

may I ask why you wouldn't ...is it still postable?

I consider that as being still decently attached - at worst it's a borderline case.

may I ask why you wouldn't ...is it still postable? I would not consider 3 inches on two pages a "separation" unless it appears to be the start of a massive separation of pages. If that were the case, I would probably still not mark it as RWP. I'd consider it postable when the person sent it, and then reevaluate if the book is still postable after I had read it or if I had its last read. 

Thanks for the input I appreciate it but, I'm still just a bit unsure...I'm one that takes rules to be literal (you know very little wiggle room)...I looked up the rule (posted below).  On closer inspection it appears that someone tore out a page or two, you can actually see torn page edges (maybe they were more seperated than these)...I'm thinking this book shouldn't have been posted,  the pages are separated and the rule doesn't state a little separated or a lot separated....maybe I'll get some more thoughts on this today....

Binding:

• Must be intact, with no separation on the inside or outside of the book

I'm with melanie.  I agree exactly with what she said.  You can still read it, and if when you are done it is clearly unpostable, you can offer it in the Book Bazaar as an incentive to order another book from your shelf.

I would not mark it RWAP either for the exact same reasons.

Don't want this to sound snippy but, are there degrees of separation that are acceptable to post and not to post?  From what I read in the help center it says "no separation".... besides I can see the spine the entire length of the book in that section and there is at least one page missing, while not crucial to the book it is still a page missing.

I've contacted the PBS Team to see what they suggest...what their definition of separation is...I think this will be beneficial in the future as I have a book or two that have a small area (maybe 2 inches) that are separated from the spine and I haven't posted them because I thought it was against the rules...I'll be interested in hearing their response on the matter...perhaps I'll be able to post my books and I can quote them if there is a problem.

Thanks for everyone's response even if I tend to not agree...

You asked for opinions and that is what you got. You are the only that can see the book to know for certain what it looks like. As I said, from your first description I would not classify that as separation of the spine, so IMO, it would have zero degrees of separation. If looking at the book, you feel different, then that is your call.  As for the page missing, I thought they had clarified that something like that was OK since people remove the order more books page from a lot of the romances.

I would bet that you will get the generic - "we will not get involved..." response from PBS. They just really avoid nit-picking the rules.

Sorry you got a book that you are unhappy with. It appears you had your mind made up before you asked the question so if you feel it should be marked with RWP, then go ahead and do it. The worst that can happen is the sender says they believe it is postable and refuse to give a credit back. Life doesn't end on an unresolved RWP.

Christy, here's the way I look at these things.

The Cardinal Rule for this site is that a book must be in: Good condition, and not excessively worn. So whenever I receive a book, I give it a cursory look. Is it in good condition and not excessively worn? If it is, I usually mark it received and get on with life.

If it appears that it might not be in good condition (it's really worn or such), I might ponder through the checklist to see if there is a specific criteria the book doesn't meet that actually keeps it from being in good condition. I look for major stains, make sure the binding is intact, etc.

I have a book that is in pretty much mint condition, but has a dime-sized stain on the edge of the book. The pages aren't warped, there is no real "damage" to the book except for the spot. It doesn't even show on the pages while reading. Is it no longer in good condition? I also have books that are extremely worn that actually meet the step-by-step criteria of the guidelines, but they are so excessively worn I wouldn't consider them in good condition, even though by the letter of the itemized points I could post them.

The guidelines don't say "In excellent condition" they just say "good". A good book can have a stray mark here or there, a small stain or two, rubber stamping on the edges, all sorts of flaws.

Your book has a minor flaw, but it sounds like it's in good condition to me. And if we all marked books that are really in good condition as RWAP because of a small tear, or a small spot, or two pages that weren't properly bound, we won't have all that many books left to trade, and this site will become a miserable place to get books.

Bravo, Jane, well said (IMHO, since I agree!)

I believe in following the rules above all else, but wouldn't smirch someone's reputation with a black mark on their record because of a technicality.  While I believe that the rules ARE the rules and not open for "interpretation," I also think a bit of common sense doesn't hurt the site.

I, too agree with Jane.  A separated page or 2 doesn't make an "un-intact"  (?) spine.  Sooner or later even a book you send out to someone will become "unpostable".  They just can't live forever!  Just my opinion, tho.

Princess,  Didn't you say you thought someone had torn out pages?  If there are pages missing, its definately unpostable.  Can you tell from the text if the pages are missing?

If pages are not missing, as for marking it RWAP due to the seperation, espeically becuase it isn't a cut and dry case - why not try to PM the person first, mention it to them before you mark it and see what kind of response you get?  That may give you some guidance.