I have recieved a few books in a deal that have had wavy or crinkled pages.  Is there any way these pages can get in this condition other than water damage?

Do I need to assume it is water and not repost?  The waves are obvious looking at the unopened book.

Thanks,

Sue

I don't know why, but some books just have wavy pages.  I have seen new books in a book store with wavy pages, and received one from Amazon.com with wavy edges.  But when I looked at the texture of the pages it looked like they had never been wet, and they weren't water stained. 

It can be a lot of things, including humidity and cheap paper.  I've also seen people crimp the pages with thier fingers while holding the page in anticipation of turning it.  Or they could be marking thier place with a paper clip...

Like Valerie - I have bought them new like this also.  If you've ever genuinely damaged a book with water, you can see the difference.  There's no guesswork involved if it's actual water damage.

I can always tell when it's definite water damage by the feel of the pages. They're stiff and extra dry feeling. If they're just wavy, but feel normal it's probably just the way the book is.

I have to admit, I have a HUGE stack of REALLY GOOD books that I cannot post because I am an avid "water-reader," meaning that I sit in my whirlpool tub and read for 45 min-hour at a time.  While the book does not get wet, persay, the moisture from the bath and the bubbles somehow "gets up into" the book on the pages that were read while in the tub and creates waves.  You can actually tell from looking at the side of my book what parts I read in the tub and which parts were casual night-time reading.  There will be 40 pages that have the "wvae" and then the next 20 or so do not.  It is definately from the humidity exposure, but for me it seems to just happen to the exact pages that were open and exposed to the elements.  I also own an ifra-red sauna at home and will read in there as well and the OPPOSITE happens--the pages become very dry, brittle and sometimes yellow. 

One good test as to whether it is water damage or not is to see if the particular waves INCREASE the thickness of the book at the open end compared to the spine.  Waves created by folding, pinching or handling of the book usually do not increase the thickness while the water-variety certainly cause the book to "swell."

Again--my "water books" and "sauna books" are not posted. 

Thanks all for the information.  I will check them over well, and repost if appropriate.

Sue

I'm moving in with you, Amelia. :)  I don't have a tub in the house, for the last 3 years.  I can't wait to move in July and my biggest requirement is a tub.  Jaccuzi preferred!!!

I would also say that it is probably from humidity... so not actual water-damage per se.  I lived in on a tropical island for a number of years and didn't have the benefit of air conditioning (that was fun...lol) and as a result, several of my books- over time- developed waves. 

Check and see if you can see any spots or outlines of where the liquid could have actually hit the paper.  And like leann-28 says, feel the paper. 

forget the spa.  I want the books!!lol

Some books really are printed on wavey paper. I got the book Tea House Fire and thought it was water damamged but then I realized all of the pages were wavey. I checked a brand new copy of that title at the book store it really was printed on a rough paper. Usually water damage is more uneven and not on the entire page or entire book.

Some of the paper being used in books today are really absorbent and will take up moisture if in a humid atmosphere.  I deplore some of the books' paper I get sometimes.

Ruth

I can always tell when it's definite water damage by the feel of the pages. They're stiff and extra dry feeling. If they're just wavy, but feel normal it's probably just the way the book is.

I want to second this. You might not be able to see the difference, but you can definitely feel it. I test by 1) fanning the book to see how stiff it is and 2) trying to press it flat in my hands.  Water damaged paper is very stiff. The wavy books I've bought new have all had very soft and supple paper (maybe that's why they don't hold a flat shape as well?). That's the major difference. Also, you can usually (temporarily) hold those "naturally wavy" books flat by pressing them with your hands, while with water damaged books, you can still clearly see the waves when pressing them because the warped pages are just so rigid.

I bought a brand new trade sized paperback this weekend.   It hasn't been exposed to any dampness at all.   I took it out of the bag this morning and the pages are wavy.   I'm considering taking it back to the store. 

I just traded 3 books in at the UBS because of this.  1 of them, I got from here, but missed the wavyness until I was reading, and 2 were books I bought and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how it got water damage.  I wasn't even sure it was water damage on any of the 3 books, but I refused to post them, because I didn't want to risk being the person that someone came here to complain about LOL I live in FL so the humidty can really be an issue and totally makes since.  I think though, in the future I still wouldn't post, just to CMA.