I order a lot of smaller, trade-paper-size art books w/ mostly black-&-white illo's & glossy, stiff pages. A high proportion of the ones I order arrive with problems I put under the category of "abused page edges"--problems that arise when books are not stored properly. I'm talking about nests of little dog-ears, crumpled & bent pages, and yes, torn pages.

How do y'all feel about slightly torn pages? Do they bug you, in a reference book? I just got a book that is an exemplar of this ongoing conundrum: it has two pages torn into the bottom margin, but not all the way into the text. They aren't simple tears, but are crumpled and multiply ripped. But still, only into the margin. =sigh=

How did they happen? Is it relevant? The two layers of thin paper the book was wrapped in were wet and torn when it arrived, so I can't tell whether the damage happened before or during shipping. Sherlock Holmes would say it's been unread and poorly stored (zero spine creases, edge wear on the cover, multiple small dog-ears)--thus, before shipping.

I don't want to be a jerk. I don't want to mark RWAP every book I get that's a wee bit torn. But it's not a undamaged book by the PBS standard. I know the guidelines: yellowing, dog-ears,  & spine creases are OK; crumples or bending is not addressed; and torn pages are not OK.

What would you do? Repair w/ tape and keep it, or mark it RWAP & write pleasantly to the sender that you want your credit back?

Fi

I personally would mark it RWAP, explain that no torn pages are allowed, but not ask for my credit back and keep the book or offer it in the Bazaar for a credit if I didn't want to keep it. I rarely ask for credits back on the little, easily missed stuff. But that is just what I do and everyone has a right to ask for the credit back on an unpostable book.

Aren't torn pages OK if under the inch mark? Or is that only for covers? I guess in hindsight I'm thinking only for covers.

Your hindsight is correct, Susan, that's only for covers. Pages are not allowed any tears.

RWAP it and ask for credit back. 

I see alot of those tears in books at the library and they only get worse with time.