how to tell if a book is a first edition

Boards are brown with green cloth spine. Look for the Words First Edition on the Copyright Page.

How To Tell If A Book Is A First Edition An Identification Guide Modern Books Book Collectors Printed Plates

A first edition dust jacket has no statement of printing and has a price of 395 on the lower corner of the front flap.

. In this example the lowest number is 1 so I have a first edition first printing. A general rule is that if the number 1 is listed the book is a first edition. Little Brown Before the early 1930s there is no first edition statement but later printings are noted. While the number line doesnt necessarily determine the edition it will tell you how many times the book has been printed.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. A hardcover first edition of Harry Potter and The Chamber Secrets will often sell for thousands of pounds. ISBN really only tells you the title of the book. This will fluctuate depending on the publishing house but most publishers will designate that a book is a first edition on the copyright page.

If you look at the printing page sometimes itll have a line of numbers on it. The string of numbers can be descending as it is here ascending or in totally random order. Check the number line or print run. For early titles from City Light Books first editions usually have no additional printings listed on the copyright page but a bibliography may be required.

A big thing to look for when determining if a book is a first edition or a book club edition is size. The number sequence would then tell you the printing. Be sure to check for other indicators as well. A well looked after first edition copy of this book can usually be worth a few hundred pounds.

A number line is usually present such as 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. The number line near the bottom of the page doesnt necessarily determine the edition but it tells you how many times the book has been printed. Now that you know how to identify their first editions find more than thousand Alfred Knopf publications including first editions of Nobel Laureates like Gabriel García Márquez or Toni Morrison vampire novels of Anne Rice presidential bibliographies by US presidents. Seuss books presented the first edition book can be identified without the dust jackets.

In 1940 started stating First Edition or First Printing and then added a number line in the late 1970s. Remember that even if the lowest number is 2 3 or whatever if the publisher is still. To identify what printing you have look for the lowest number in the string. The example of First Edition 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 would indicate a first edition third printing.

The number line refers to the line of numbers printed on the copyright page. Approximately 5000 first printings were produced. To shed a little more light the first time a publisher releases a new book all copies of that book that are printed without major changes can be considered a first edition. FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page.

In collecting terms a general definition of 1st edition book would be a works first commercially available appearance in book form printed with the original setting of type. Sometimes a publisher will have both the words First Edition and a number sequence. Collectors often encounter books from the publishing house so its useful to know a bit about Doubledays history and how to identify its first editions. Sometimes publishers include the words first edition next to the number line even if the book was on its third printing according Abe Books website.

Use the number line to determine the printing. First editions from 1930 to 1973 have an A on the copyright page. From 1974 on a sequence of numbers appears on the copyright page with 1. These lines of numbers usually follow a format such as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 where the 1 signifies that the book is a first edition.

If there is no date research the information you find. An Early Start in Publishing Brooklyn native Frank Nelson Doubleday developed a love for publishing at an early age. If there is a 1 still present in the number line it. Copies of The Prisoner of Azkaban with Joanne on the copyright page instead of JK can be worth up to 1000.

A number 3 would indicate this First Edition 3 4 5 6 7 8. In all of the Dr. First-Edition Identification by Publisher A-G In the case of titles published before 1900 the key to first-edition identification is often the date on the title page. It isnt really much of an indicator of what edition it is unless major changes were made.

Often youll find a number line such as. There appears to be two states of the first edition. The vast majority of first editions published before 1900 had the year of publication on the title page this is true for fiction and nonfiction titles. If a 1 is present - in any sequence - its usually a sign that the book is a first edition.

Present in first editions. This book is in high demand. The first time a publisher releases a new book all copies of that book printed without major changes can be considered a first edition book. In a couple of cases the book is the first editionfirst or early printing.

If theres still a number one in the line then it means it could be the first edition. The Best of The Rest First Edition Harry Potter Books. In the 1930s began stating Published Month Year on the first edition copyright page. If a book reads something like 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 then your book is not part of the first printing the example above indicates a third printing cycle.

Further impressions include the impression number and further editions by the edition number. However just because you see those words doesnt mean youve got a valuable book on your hands. If the initial print run of this first edition sells out and the publisher decides to produce a subsequent printing with the same typeset the book would be described as a first edition second printing. In nearly all cases the book is also the first editionfirst printing.

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