What Is a Misprint? Textual Errors and Their Collecting Significance
A misprint (also called a typographical error or “typo”) is an error in the printed text of a book — a misspelled word, a transposed letter, a wrong page number, or any other mistake introduced during typesetting. In book collecting, misprints have a significance that goes far beyond their content: they serve as identification markers for specific printings and editions.
Misprints as Issue Points
The most important role of misprints in collecting is as issue points — features that distinguish the earliest copies of a first printing from later ones.
When a printer discovers an error during a print run, they may stop the press, correct the type, and continue printing. This creates two states within the same printing: copies printed before the correction (with the error) and copies printed after the correction (without it). The copies with the uncorrected error were printed first and are therefore the first issue or first state.
Famous examples:
The Great Gatsby (1925). The first printing contains several known errors, including “sick in tired” on page 205 (later corrected to “sickantired” and eventually to “sick and tired”). Copies with “sick in tired” confirm first printing, first state.
The Sun Also Rises (1926). First printing, first issue copies misspell “stopped” as “stoppped” (three p’s) on page 181.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). First printing copies have “First Edition” on the copyright page and a price of $3.95 on the dust jacket.
Types of Misprints
Literal errors. Misspelled words, transposed letters, wrong letters. The most common type.
Wrong numbers. Incorrect page numbers (pagination errors), wrong dates, incorrect chapter numbers.
Dropped letters or words. Letters or words missing from the text due to type falling out of the forme during printing.
Transpositions. Lines of text in the wrong order, pages printed out of sequence.
Wrong font. A letter or word set in a different typeface from the surrounding text.
Ghost impressions. Faint images from a previously printed sheet that transferred to the next sheet.
How Misprints Affect Value
Uncorrected errors in first printings increase value when they serve as recognized issue points. Collectors want the earliest state of the text, and misprints that were corrected during the press run confirm that a copy was among the first off the press.
Errors that do not serve as issue points have no effect on value. A random typo that appears in all copies of the first printing does not distinguish any copy from any other and therefore does not affect value.
Errors in later printings or reprints are simply errors and have no collecting significance.
The Issue Point System
The study of issue points — which errors are present in which copies, and in what order corrections were made — is a core activity of analytical bibliography. For highly collected authors and titles, bibliographers have mapped the exact sequence of corrections across the entire first printing.
This information appears in published bibliographies (e.g., Matthew Bruccoli’s bibliography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, B.C. Bloomfield’s bibliography of W.H. Auden) and in reference guides for collectors (such as McBride’s Points of Issue).
When evaluating a first edition for purchase, checking the known issue points against the copy in hand is standard practice. The bookseller should note the state of all significant issue points in their description.
Misprints vs. Textual Variants
A misprint is an unintentional error. A textual variant is a deliberate change by the author or publisher. Both create differences between copies, but they have different significance:
- Misprints are markers of printing sequence (first issue vs. later issue)
- Textual variants may reflect authorial revision (which version did the author prefer?)
In some cases, the distinction is ambiguous — was a changed word a correction of an error or a conscious revision? Bibliographers debate these questions for major literary texts.
Practical Advice
When buying a first edition:
- Check a reliable bibliography or reference guide for the title’s known issue points
- Verify the state of each point in the copy you are examining
- Ask the seller about issue points if they are not mentioned in the description
- Be aware that issue points matter most for high-value titles — for a $50 first edition, the presence or absence of a minor typo rarely affects the price significantly
Famous Misprints That Affect Value
| Book | Misprint | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby (1925) | “sick in tired” (p. 205) | First state identifier; corrected in later copies of first printing |
| The Sun Also Rises (1926) | “stoppped” with three p’s (p. 181) | First issue marker |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) | “1 wand” repeated on p. 53 | Present in all first printing copies; confirms authenticity |
| The Hobbit (1937) | “Dodgson” for “Doddison” on dust jacket | First impression identifier |
| On the Road (1957) | Various line breaks in poem | First state vs. second state |
| Lord of the Flies (1954) | Price of 12s 6d on jacket | First impression with incorrect price |
These misprints are not defects in the negative sense — they are desirable markers that confirm a copy’s priority among printings. Collectors actively seek these “errors.”
When Misprints Lower Value
Not all misprints are desirable. A printing error that damages the text’s readability — missing pages, severely misaligned text, pages printed upside down — can actually reduce a copy’s value even if it makes the copy technically scarce. The distinction is between misprints that serve as identification points (valuable) and misprints that represent production failures (undesirable). A “sick in tired” in Gatsby is the former; thirty pages of illegible smeared ink would be the latter.