ARC

Advance Review (or Reader's or Reading) Copy. A special pre-publication copy distributed by publishers for review purposes. ARCs are sent to reviewers and editors prior to publication date. ARCs are usually softbound in wrappers, which may be similar to dust jacket art of the first trade edition, but the wrappers are more typically merely printed text. ARCs are sometimes issued as a hardcover with a review slip laid in by the publisher. Occasionally the distribution of ARCs lead to textual differences between an advance review copy and a first edition. The textual differences between various versions may give value to ARCs to the collector.