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Dear John: I recently ordered a couple of older Brad Meltzer novels missing from my collection. ZERO GAME is a 2004 release that looks like it’s never been read, but I notice that there appears to be toning on the tops of the pages. How do you grade a book like this? I have a few books with varying degrees of toning that are otherwise tight and new or like new. How will this affect the value of my books later on? Walter John replies: Hi Walter, In the case of ZERO GAME, the publisher used an inferior paper in comparison to other publications. I have yet to see a copy of the book that is untoned. I would grade this book as “fine,” considering the circumstances. John Ask John at: [email protected] Read articles about book collecting Read John's answers to book collecting questions Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters Sign up for our Book Club Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Watch our Videos