The distressed books will have very obvious signs of wear and tear. Frayed, cracked or even crumbled spines. Sometimes ink faded to the point of being unreadable.

In other words—they look like crap.

But that's a good thing.

Who wants to pull out a book like that and look through it? Who would expect a ratty old book to actually contain hidden valuables? Misdirection is an important part of keeping people out of where you don't want them.

If you have other books that are in or close to this condition, you'll want to specify one of our distressed secret books, so it will blend in anonymously with your other books.