I ordered blue, maybe it's a little bit blue. But it's so dark that it might as well be black. The plastic protective wrap was over the book, but it had random smudges and dirty spots under the plastic. They buffed out, but I would not consider that gifting-ready condition. Not overstock's fault, but rather whoever carries them. Also be aware as another reviewer said, this is more like a box with a binder ring inside than a typical binder. That's ok, if you plan to fill it up all the way. The quality is mediocre, the finish is faux and the pages don't flip smoothly, but the price is really good. So you are getting a good value, but not an amazing deal. Keep in mind though that for a very nice quality album, with sheet protectors, the cost would be almost triple what you are paying for this. So I do recommend it, but you wouldn't be using something like this for your wedding album. Very useful for things like, high school graduation, because the box lets you put in mementos, like your tassel, and other 3-D keepsakes.
