Identifying A First Edition Identifying A First EditionEvery dealer and every collector has done it -- you rush home with that prize in hand, plucked from the piles of garage sale books, certain you have a Genuine, Real, First Edition! And then reality strikes. The little stamp on the back cover you didn't see in the dim garage lighting. It's a book club edition. Ah well, $.50 is a fair price for another lesson. And you can always read it and then give it to the local Friends of the Library sale.
"How do you identify a first edition?" wrote one of our members. And the answers poured in. We present a few of the answers below, and where available include the name of the writer so that you may comment directly to the author where the address is given or to the editor.
Irene Harrison sent this wonderfully informative response:
There are several ways to tell a first edition. In fact each publisher seems to delight in using a different way. Worse, several of the small presses seem to make a game of making it hard for the collector to determine what the actual first edition is.
Now that I'm looking for a few "old" books, I have written down what I expect to see on the copy right page. I've done my research and have the special "points" that I'll have to look for when I see that specific book. I've also memorized the 'usual' way that the few publishers of the books that I collect used. I also have to use the knowledge of my dealer. I've established a comfort level with several dealers and can rely on their judgement.
Having made these warnings, here a couple of guides to determining
what edition you are actually holding.
McBride POCKET GUIDE TO THE ID OF FIRST EDITIONS
This is actually pocket size, or at least small enough to fit into a
notebook. I found that several of my local second hand book stores sell
copies of this. Cost--about $7. paperback.
Zemple, Edward N. & Linda A. Verkler Eds.
FIRST EDITIONS:A GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICATION
1985, June, Spoon River Press, 2nd edition $20.
ISBN 0-930358-07-4 LC 83-51139
Actually, most recent books (1993-1995) use the words "First edition" and the numbers in either of the two "standard" (and I use that term loosly) forms. " 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" or "93 94 95 96 97 5 4 3 2 1" These make it easy for the printer to remove the end numbers for the next printing.
So for purchasing books in the local "new" book store, you only need to confirm that you are not holding a 2nd printing (some book publishers ship some 1st and some 2nd editions on large orders, ie: Waldenbooks. The book store doesn't check the printing number when they stock the shelves. Hence I have ONCE purchased a 2nd edition off the shelf, on the publication date.)
For second hand shops - for books with recent dates. Be warned, the Book Club editions contain the standard numbers and markings of a real first edition, but these are usually the second (or third) time a book has been printed. The markings that are easy to see on a book club edition are:
As you are just starting out, I suggest buing new books from the regular new book dealers. You may think that buying a book for $25 is expensive, but there are no bargains in books. Todays new first edition at $25, may be $10 next year at the used book shop (with remainder lines on the bottom edges), and be $5 two years from now. However, if that book is either well written, or by an author's who's work has held his own, in ten years the cost will be closer to $100, and in twenty years possibly $200. I don't put prices on books, I just buy the books. When I'm looking for that 1934 first edition of the author's first book, I'm not going to argue the price, I'm even going to buy that Ex-library beaten up edition without dust jacket, just to have a copy with the first edition markings (the better to recognize the real thing when I finally see it.)
As stated often, and correctly, the older the book, the more likely
there are differences in the way the publishers marked first editions. I
suggest going to your local library and borrowing a general guide to book
collecting. My favorite is
Wilson, Robert
MODERN BOOK COLLECTING
1980, Alfred A. Knopf Pub, Brds
simultaneously pub in Canada by Random
House
ISBN 0-394-50114-4 LC 79-22428
He's got good sugestions on determining 1sts, WHAT to collect, how not
to have your favorite author sign your book (felt tip markers tend to
bleed). I still reread my copy often for good advice and reminders.
Wrote Glyn Watson of Glyn's Books:
"In collecting terms you don't distinguish between the two - a sixth impression/a sixth printing/a sixth edition--they're all sixth reprints and as such are less collectible than the first.
The difference between an edition and an impression is that the latter is a reprint using exactly the same type and set up as the previous impressions. A book may have many impressions of an edition.
A new (i.e. second, third or whatever) edition at least in theory means that the book has been re-set--perhaps with some minor (or major) changes--although it may well be quite indistinguishable from an earlier edition (except for the fact that it describes itself as a second or third or whatever).
There are exceptions--and it's often the exceptions that are the most valuable--invariably to do with circumstances peculiar to an individual book.
Are all first editions marked as such? Generally speaking in the U.S. they are; in the UK the absence of anything saying that it's another edition means that it's more likely than not to be a first. That's avery broad rule of thumb--to be ignored totally if in any doubt--or spending alot of money (or vice versa). If you're standing with nice mystery title from the 1930s in dust jacket selling at a local junk shop for $2--and it looks good--but it doesn't say "1st edition" (or anything else)--you don't ignore it. You buy it. If it turns out to be a first you've got real bargain--maybe to eventually sell/trade for more books; if it's a reprint--well it's worth $2. Likewise if you're looking at UK title that has no edition details but has fancy price--don't assume it's a first--get the dealer to explain exactly why he/she says it's a first and get them to back it up with bibliographical reference...
Jeff Gannaway wrote:
The 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 which sometimes appears on the © page of a book indicates which printing the book is. The lowest number shown is usually the printing the book is. I say "usually" because every publisher has its own ways of indicating which printing a book is.
A new "edition" indicates a signifcant revision of the orignal book (Everyone at college knows about editions with text books). A printing simply indicates that the same book has simply gone to the printer for another batch.
This can get confusing when talking to book collectors. We all that when someone advertises a collectible book as a "First Edition", they REALLY mean, "First Edition, First Printing".
email:aeebeyer@indyvax.iupui.eduDavid Holloway of hollowayd@aol.com wrote:
Not all publisher's use the system of descending numbers- although most
of them do currently. This is a fairly recent phenomena- you should be aware
that almost nobody was using it 25 years ago, and should also know little
facts that Random House first editions only go down to the number 2 and state
First Edition, so the copyright page of a Random House title reads:
FIRST EDITION
234567890
For second printings they simply remove the words FIRST EDITION.
For any beginning collector I strongly recommend a book called MODERN BOOK COLLECTING by Robert Wilson. It is one of the most readable and comprehensive single volumes on collecting 20th century books. I believe there is a paper back in print from Lyons and Burford publishers. Have a good local bookstore order a copy for you, or find it at the library. It will answer MANY of your questions.
From Interrupt ReQuest we learned,
"There are a lot of good books on book-collecting out there. Some of my favorites are written by John Carter. They are: ABC For Book Collectors and Taste & Technique in Book-Collecting. Also, see Book Collecting, edited by Jean Peters."
John of jbierman@rdbnet.wpafb.af.mil recommended,
"[A] copy of the famous McBride Pocket Guide. This is an appx 3" x 4" paper back and costs less than $10. It contains tons of info and is sized so you can easily carry it with you while search book stores. Like the commercials used to say, "Don't leave home without it."