admittedly I've never held the book in my hand...never bought or sold it (and never will I suspect), so like the other individual that insists of fading, I have no dog in this fight...
but if anyone has any first hand evidence to the contrary, I would love to see it... it "looks" like a badly faded book, that much is not really in question by anyone, I don't believe...and it sold like a badly faded book would (so the grade designation was not relevant to the realized price)...but, at heart is the real reason it looks like it does...