First Edition Identification — Number Lines and Publisher Conventions

The Single Most Important Collecting Skill

Identifying a first printing is the foundational skill of book collecting. Everything else — condition grading, market knowledge, authentication — builds on the ability to look at a copyright page and determine definitively whether you’re holding a first printing or a reprint. Get this wrong, and nothing else matters.

The challenge is that there is no universal standard. Every publisher has its own system for identifying printings, and these systems have changed over time. What follows is a publisher-by-publisher guide to the conventions used by major American and British publishers from the early twentieth century to the present.

The Number Line System

The most common modern identification method is the number line (also called the “printer’s key” or “print line”). This is a sequence of numbers on the copyright page that indicates the printing:

Example: 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

The lowest number present indicates the printing. In this example, “1” is present, so this is a first printing. For the second printing, the “1” would be removed: 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. For the third: 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, and so on.

Variations: Some publishers arrange the numbers differently:

• Sequential: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Reverse: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
• Split: 1 3 5 7 9 / 10 8 6 4 2
• With date: 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 / 99 98 97 96 95 (the date side indicates the year of printing)

In all cases, the rule is the same: the lowest number indicates the printing.

Publisher-by-Publisher Guide

Alfred A. Knopf

Current system: Number line with “1” indicating first printing, plus “FIRST EDITION” stated.

Historical: Knopf has stated “FIRST EDITION” on the copyright page since the 1920s. This statement is removed from subsequent printings. The number line was added later (1970s onward) as an additional indicator. For pre-1970s Knopf books, the “FIRST EDITION” statement alone is the primary indicator.

Key authors: Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, John Updike, Raymond Carver, Donna Tartt, Kazuo Ishiguro.

Random House

Current system: Number line with “1” plus “First Edition” statement.

Historical: From the 1960s onward, Random House has used both a number line and a “First Edition” statement. Pre-1960s, the statement alone suffices. Some Random House imprints (Modern Library, Vintage) have slightly different conventions.

Important note: Random House book club editions are common and closely resemble trade editions. Always check for blind stamps on the rear board.

Scribner’s (Charles Scribner’s Sons)

The Scribner “A”: The most famous publisher-specific identification mark. From approximately 1930 to 1973, Scribner’s indicated a first printing with a capital “A” on the copyright page. The “A” was removed from subsequent printings.

Why it matters: This convention identifies first editions of Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls) and Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby, Tender Is the Night). Misidentifying a later Scribner’s printing as a first because the “A” is absent is a costly mistake.

Post-1973: Scribner’s adopted a more conventional number line system.

Harper & Brothers / Harper & Row / HarperCollins

Historical system: Harper used a letter code system on the copyright page, with two letters indicating the month and year of printing, followed by edition letters. The specifics vary by era and are documented in bibliographic references.

Modern system (HarperCollins): Standard number line with “1” plus “First Edition” statement.

Key authors: Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird — look for “First Edition” and specific first-printing points), Richard Wright, James Baldwin.

Houghton Mifflin / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

System: Number line with “1” plus date. First editions typically state the year without reprinting history. Some also state “First printing.”

Key authors: Tim O’Brien, Philip Roth (early works), J.R.R. Tolkien (US editions).

Little, Brown and Company

System: Number line with “1” indicating first printing. “FIRST EDITION” typically stated.

Key authors: David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest), J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye — first edition has “FIRST PRINTING” stated).

Viking / Viking Penguin

System: “First published in [year]” stated on copyright page for first editions. No subsequent printing information should appear. Modern editions also include number lines.

Key authors: Steinbeck (some titles), Saul Bellow, Jack Kerouac.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG)

System: Number line with “1” plus “First edition” or “First published in [year]” stated.

Key authors: Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion (some titles), Flannery O’Connor, Elizabeth Bishop, Marilynne Robinson.

Simon & Schuster

System: Number line with “1” indicating first printing. “First Simon & Schuster Edition” or similar statement.

Key authors: Various — S&S is a large conglomerate with many imprints (Scribner, Atria, Gallery, etc.), each with slightly different conventions.

Doubleday

System: Historically inconsistent. Pre-1970s Doubleday first editions are among the most difficult to identify definitively. Some titles state “First Edition” on the copyright page; others do not. The presence of the Doubleday colophon (an anchor with a dolphin) on the copyright page is typical but not definitive.

Warning: Doubleday was the most prominent book club publisher — many Doubleday titles also exist in Doubleday Book Club editions that closely resemble trade editions.

Grove Press

System: “First Edition” or “First Printing” stated. Number line in later years.

Key authors: William S. Burroughs, Samuel Beckett, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac (some titles).

W.W. Norton

System: “First Edition” stated on copyright page. Number line in modern editions.

Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons

System: Number line with “1” in modern editions. Historical editions may state “First American Edition.”

British Publishers

Faber and Faber

System: “First published in [year] by Faber and Faber Limited” stated on copyright page. No subsequent printing information for first editions.

Key authors: T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath (Ariel), Seamus Heaney, Kazuo Ishiguro, Sally Rooney.

Jonathan Cape

System: “First published [year]” stated. Subsequent editions note “Reprinted [year].”

Key authors: Ian Fleming (James Bond), Ian McEwan, Julian Barnes.

Heinemann (William Heinemann)

System: “First published [year]” or “First published in Great Britain [year].”

Key authors: Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar as Victoria Lucas), various mid-century British authors.

Hogarth Press

System: “First published [year]” with Hogarth Press colophon. Print runs were small and usually documented.

Key authors: Virginia Woolf exclusively (and a few other authors she and Leonard published).

Bloomsbury

System: “First published in Great Britain in [year]” plus number line with “1.”

Key authors: J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series).

Penguin

System: Penguin books are typically paperback originals or reprints. First Penguin editions are distinct from original first editions. Penguin Classics, Penguin Modern Classics, and similar lines are reprint series.

Special Cases and Oddities

Paperback Originals

Some significant first editions were published as paperback originals — no hardcover first edition exists:

• The Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut (Dell, 1959)
• Junkie by Burroughs (Ace, 1953, as “William Lee”)
• Howl by Ginsberg (City Lights, 1956)
• Mother Night by Vonnegut (Fawcett, 1962)

For these titles, the paperback is the true first edition. Condition is paramount because paperbacks deteriorate faster than hardcovers.

Simultaneous Editions

Some titles were published simultaneously in hardcover and paperback, or simultaneously in the US and UK. Both editions can claim “first edition” status:

• The US and UK editions of the same title are both considered first editions (in their respective countries)
• A simultaneous hardcover and paperback from the same publisher may have different ISBNs but are both first editions
• Priority between simultaneous editions is sometimes impossible to determine

Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) and Proof Copies

ARCs and proofs are pre-publication copies sent to reviewers and booksellers. They precede the published first edition chronologically but are not typically considered “first editions” in the bibliographic sense. They are, however, collected as supplementary items — particularly for scarce or significant titles.

Limited Editions

Limited editions (numbered, signed, special binding or paper) are published alongside or before trade editions. Whether a limited edition “counts” as the first edition depends on publication timing:

• If the limited edition was published before the trade edition, it’s technically the first edition
• If published simultaneously, both have first-edition status
• In practice, most collectors consider the trade first edition to be the “standard” first edition and limited editions as a separate collecting category

Practical Process

When examining a book to determine edition:

1. Open to the copyright page (typically the verso of the title page)
2. Look for explicit statements: “First Edition,” “First Printing,” “First Published in [year]”
3. Check the number line: Look for a “1” in the sequence
4. Check for publisher-specific markers: Scribner “A,” Knopf “FIRST EDITION,” etc.
5. Look for disqualifying information: “Second printing,” “Reprinted,” “Book club edition,” etc.
6. Cross-reference: If uncertain, consult a bibliographic reference for the specific title (many major authors have published bibliographies)
7. When in doubt: A $10 investment in a bibliographic reference book for the author you’re collecting will save thousands in misidentification over time

The skills described here are cumulative — after examining hundreds of copyright pages, identification becomes instinctive. Start with the publishers of the authors you collect, master their conventions, and expand outward as your collecting broadens.