How to Identify First Editions — A Comprehensive Guide for Book Collectors

The ability to identify a genuine first edition is the foundational skill of book collecting. It is also one of the most confusing, because publishers use inconsistent terminology, practices have changed over time, and the relationship between “first edition” and “first printing” is not always what it appears to be. Many books that say “First Edition” on the copyright page are not first printings, and many genuine first printings do not say “First Edition” anywhere. Navigating this landscape requires understanding both the general principles and the publisher-specific conventions.

Definitions

Edition vs. Printing vs. Issue vs. State

These terms have specific bibliographic meanings that differ from their casual use:

Edition — All copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type (or from the same plates, or from the same digital file). A new edition implies a new typesetting — revised text, new introduction, different formatting.

Printing (or Impression) — A single press run within an edition. If a publisher prints 5,000 copies, sells them, and then prints 5,000 more from the same plates, the second batch is the second printing of the same edition.

Issue — Copies of a printing that are intentionally differentiated by the publisher — different title pages, different publishers’ names, different binding styles — but produced from the same press run.

State — Variants within a printing or issue that result from corrections or changes made during the press run. If a typo is noticed and corrected partway through printing, copies with the error are one state and corrected copies are another.

For collectors, the first edition, first printing, first issue, first state is the most desirable form. In common usage, “first edition” usually means “first printing of the first edition.”

The Number Line

The most common method of identifying printings in modern publishing (from the 1970s onward) is the number line on the copyright page:

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

The lowest number present indicates the printing. In this example, the “1” is present, so this is a first printing.

For the second printing, the “1” is removed: 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

For the third printing, the “2” is also removed (it was the lowest after “1”): 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4

Variations:

• Some publishers use ascending order: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Some use descending order: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
• Some include letters for year and month
• Some use only odd or only even numbers

The principle is consistent: the lowest number present = the printing.

Publisher-Specific Practices

No two publishers handle edition identification identically. Here are some of the most important:

Scribner’s

Scribner’s (publisher of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wolfe) used a distinctive system:

• The letter “A” appears on the copyright page of first printings
• The Scribner’s seal appears on the copyright page
• No “First Edition” statement is used; the “A” alone indicates first printing

This is why Hemingway first editions are identified by the presence of the “A” on the copyright page.

Random House / Alfred A. Knopf

Knopf typically states “FIRST EDITION” on the copyright page of first printings. Later printings remove this statement or add “Second Printing,” etc.

Modern Knopf books also use number lines.

Harper & Brothers / HarperCollins

Harper used various methods over the decades:

• Early 20th century: “FIRST EDITION” on copyright page, sometimes with a letter code indicating month and year
• Modern: Number lines

Little, Brown

States “FIRST EDITION” on the copyright page for first printings. Later printings add printing statements below.

Doubleday

Historically unreliable in identifying first editions. Many Doubleday first editions carry no edition statement at all. The absence of a “Book Club Edition” statement or “Second Printing” statement, combined with other physical evidence, is sometimes the only way to identify a Doubleday first.

UK Publishers

Jonathan Cape, Faber and Faber, Secker & Warburg — British publishers typically state “First published [year]” on the copyright page of first editions. Later printings add “Reprinted [year]” or “Second impression [year].”

Gollancz — Victor Gollancz’s distinctive yellow jackets are immediately recognizable. First editions typically state the date of publication on the title page; later printings may state “Second impression” or add a date on the copyright page.

Historical Practices (Pre-20th Century)

17th–18th Century

Early publishers did not systematically identify editions or printings. Identifying first editions of pre-19th-century books requires bibliographic expertise — consulting standard references (STC, Wing, ESTC) and comparing physical characteristics against bibliographic descriptions.

19th Century

19th-century American and British publishers used various methods:

• Date on the title page matching the copyright date usually indicates a first edition
• Advertising pages at the end of the book sometimes help date the printing (the most recent title advertised provides a terminus post quem)
• Binding styles changed over time, and bibliographies record the correct binding for first editions

Common Mistakes

”First Edition” Does Not Always Mean First Printing

Some publishers (notably Doubleday and various reprinters) use “First Edition” to mean the first edition of the text under their imprint — even if the book was previously published elsewhere. A Doubleday “First Edition” of a novel originally published by a smaller house is actually a reprint.

Book Club Editions

Book club editions may carry the same copyright page as the trade edition, including “First Edition” statements. Always check for book club indicators: no price on the jacket flap, thinner paper, blind stamp on the rear board.

Facsimile Reprints

Some publishers produce facsimile reprints that reproduce the original copyright page, including the original edition statement. These are identified by the actual publisher’s information (usually on the jacket or elsewhere in the book) and by differences in paper, binding, and printing quality.

The “First Thus” Problem

“First thus” means the first edition in a particular form — first paperback edition, first edition with new illustrations, first edition under a new title. A “first thus” is NOT a first edition of the text and is generally worth much less than the original first edition.

Practical Workflow

When evaluating whether a book is a first edition:

1. Check the copyright page — Look for edition statements, number lines, and printing codes.
2. Consult the relevant bibliography — If a descriptive bibliography exists for the author, it will describe the first edition’s physical characteristics in detail.
3. Check a reference guide — McBride’s Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions catalogs publisher practices.
4. Compare physical characteristics — Does the binding color, cloth type, jacket price, and overall format match the bibliography’s description?
5. Check for book club indicators — No price on jacket, blind stamp on rear board, thinner paper.
6. When in doubt, ask — Contact a knowledgeable dealer or consult an online collecting community.

Identifying first editions is a skill that improves with practice. Every author, every publisher, and every period has its own conventions and quirks. Building expertise in your specific collecting area — learning the edition points, the publisher practices, and the physical characteristics of the books you collect — is one of the most rewarding aspects of the hobby and one of your best protections against expensive mistakes.