A shiny, gray color gets on my thumbs and page-turning fingers when I read this book. Is the text rubbing off? Even so, the beautiful cover, enthralling characterizations, and extra-bargain price have kept this book in my hands. I was expecting a slightly damaged copy, but there is no visible damage in the book-- except for where my child extended a finger to test the print job and managed to smear and almost erase two words. The book is so tightly bound, it takes effort to keep it open. Pages are lower-contrast than they appeared online but are marginally bright.