Points of Issue: What They Are and Why They Matter

A point of issue (or simply a “point”) is a specific, observable physical detail that distinguishes one state or variant of a book from another — typically distinguishing a first printing from a later one, or a first issue from a second issue within the same printing. Points of issue are the fingerprints of a book’s production history, and identifying them correctly is one of the fundamental skills of rare book collecting and bibliography.

What Counts as a Point?

Points of issue include any physical difference that can be used to distinguish variants:

Textual errors. Misprints, misspellings, or incorrect text that was corrected in later printings. The most famous example is The Great Gatsby (1925, Scribner’s): on page 205, line 9, the first printing reads “sick in tired” where later printings correct it to “sickantired.”

Binding variants. Differences in cloth colour, stamping, or binding material between issues. The first issue of The Sun Also Rises (1926, Scribner’s) has the author’s name misspelled as “Hemingway” on the spine in gold (it was corrected to the proper spelling in later issues… actually, the name was correct, but the “p” in “stoppped” on page 181 is the famous point).

Dust jacket differences. Changes in price, blurb text, review quotes, or artwork between jacket states. A jacket that mentions a prize the book won indicates a later printing — the book had to be published before it could win anything.

Cancel leaves. Individual pages (leaves) that were printed separately and tipped into the book to replace pages containing errors. Cancel leaves are common in books from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries and are bibliographically significant — a copy with the cancel in place is in a different state from one with the original (uncancelled) leaf.

Paper or typography variants. Differences in paper stock, typeface, or printing quality that indicate different printing runs.

Famous Points of Issue

Some points of issue have become legendary in the rare book world:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925, Scribner’s):

• Page 205, line 9: “sick in tired” (first printing) vs. “sickantired” (later printings)
• Page 60, line 16: “chatter” (first issue) vs. “echolalia” (Fitzgerald requested the change but it may not have been made until a later printing — the bibliographic status is debated)

Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (1926, Scribner’s):

• Page 181, line 26: “stoppped” with three p’s (first printing) vs. “stopped” (later printings)
• The Scribner’s “A” must be present on the copyright page

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997, Bloomsbury):

• Page 53: “1 wand” appears twice in the equipment list (first printing of 500 copies)
• The author is listed as “Joanne Rowling” on the copyright page (not “J.K. Rowling”)

Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (1953, Jonathan Cape):

• The first issue has the text of the book printed on a heavier paper stock than later printings
• The dust jacket shows the correct price (10s 6d) and has no review quotes

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960, J.B. Lippincott):

• First issue has “First Edition” on the copyright page
• The dust jacket shows a price of $3.95 and includes a photo of Lee by Truman Capote on the rear panel

Why Points of Issue Matter

Identification. Points of issue are the primary method for distinguishing genuine first printings from later printings. For books published before number lines became standard (pre-1970), points of issue may be the only reliable method of identification.

Value. The first issue of the first printing of the first edition is the most valuable state. A copy with all points correct — first-issue text, first-state binding, first-state jacket — commands a premium over copies in later states.

Bibliographic scholarship. Points of issue are the raw data of analytical bibliography — the discipline that studies the physical production of books. They reveal how books were printed, corrected, and distributed, providing insights into the publishing process that are not available from any other source.

How to Research Points of Issue

For major authors and titles, points of issue are documented in specialised bibliographies:

• Matthew Bruccoli compiled definitive bibliographies of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and other American modernists
• Bill McBride’s A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions is a standard reference
• Author-specific bibliographies (e.g., Ahearn for modern firsts, Blanck for nineteenth-century American literature) provide detailed point-by-point descriptions
• Dealer catalogues from major rare book dealers (Heritage Book Shop, Bauman Rare Books, Peter Harrington) often include detailed point descriptions for significant titles

For less documented titles, comparison between copies — holding a known first printing alongside a later one — is the most reliable method.

A Word of Caution

Points of issue are only as reliable as the scholarship behind them. Bibliographic research is ongoing, and new discoveries occasionally revise established wisdom. For high-value purchases, rely on the most recent scholarship and consult a specialist dealer or bibliographer.

Points of Issue vs. Points of State

Bibliographers distinguish between “issue” and “state,” though collectors often use the terms interchangeably:

• Issue refers to a deliberate change — the publisher consciously altered something between batches of copies. Different binding colours offered at the same time, a cancel leaf replacing an offensive passage, or a title-page change represent different issues.
• State refers to changes that happened during production — a typo corrected mid-press-run, a cracked plate replaced, or a binding stamp that wore down partway through the run. Copies before the change are “first state”; copies after are “second state.”

In practice, the distinction matters mainly for bibliographers and scholars. For collectors, the key question is simpler: “Is my copy in the earliest, most desirable form?” If the answer is yes across all known points, the copy is in the first issue, first state — the most valuable configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find the points of issue for a specific book? Author bibliographies and collector reference guides are the primary sources. The Ahearn guide (Collected Books) lists points for many major American and British first editions. For deeply collected authors, dedicated author bibliographies (published by Oak Knoll Press, the University of Virginia, and others) provide exhaustive point-by-point analysis.

Can a book have points that haven’t been discovered yet? Yes. New points are occasionally identified by bibliographers who discover previously unrecognized variants. This is most common for nineteenth-century books with complex printing histories but can also occur for twentieth-century titles. The discovery of a new point can reclassify copies and affect values — another reason to stay current with bibliographic scholarship in your collecting area.

Do points of issue matter for modern first editions? Less than for older books, because modern printing technology produces more uniform copies. However, they still exist: dust jacket price changes, variant bindings, and textual corrections between printings all constitute points that can affect value and identification.