There will be those who boggle at the item on eBay that has caused the latest flap. But such trade is rife with legal grey areas вЂ“ and the market is currently convulsed by one of its periodic kerfuffles. But proofs are, by their nature, of limited availability вЂ“ which is why those who like to collect rarities in the book world trade them.

A proof of Grant Morrison's non-fiction treatise on superheroes, Supergods, which I recently received, had whole sections that were changed in the final product. True, you may get to read the book a month or so before publication, but proofs are often uncorrected, unedited and sometimes even early drafts. For a reader, the appeal of a proof is almost negligible. In recent years the group of people in receipt of proofs has widened to include book bloggers who reach, in some cases, thousands of readers, and who have been identified by publishers as having the capability to reach an internet-savvy crowd who might not necessarily buy mainstream media publications.ДЄRCs will often have plain covers, or covers carrying publication information and quotes from those who have already seen the book.

Book collector signed