How can you tell first edition books

Although it seems like it should be fairly straight forward, there is so much to know about first identification that whole books and websites are devoted to the subject. Here we will give you some basic tools to help you identify your first edition, but if would like more in-depth information, we recommend Collected Books by Allen and Patricia Ahearn or First Edition Points website.

First edition identification would be an easy task if there were only one publishing house and they remained consistent in their printing methods over the years, but alas this is far from the case. Over the years there have been thousands of publishers, each using various methods for distinguishing a first edition. Books published prior to around are somewhat more easily identified, as publishers generally put the date on the title page of the first edition, although sometimes it can be found on the last page of the book.

For more modern books, however, there began to be a trend towards putting this information on the copyright page instead. The following are some adaptations of number lines, all of which are first printings:. Let us take a moment here to tell you that any book that you purchase from Raptis Rare Books will be a first printing unless we state otherwise. This is very important, because you can be guaranteed that you are purchasing the book you want. It is unfortunate, but many sites selling collectible books state that their books are first editions, but when they arrive, they are later printings.

For example, a copyright page that states:. The following are the methods used by some of the larger or more famous publishing houses. Always go with the lowest number to determine how many times the book has been printed. You may also find the printing date in this number list, so again, you should always go with the least recent date.

Editions only usually change if there is more information added to the book or information in the book has changed. Check for any new passages in the book and search to find out what edition of the book you have. Book club edition is produced for the specific use of, you guessed it, book clubs.

An international standard book number ISBN is a ten or thirteen digit number used to determine the edition or variation of a book. You can also check above the barcode. Search for the ISBN online or compare it to the one on the copyright page.

The presense or absense of a dust jacket can also greatly affect value and desirability. The Hobbit First Edition. First edition of Tolkien's first novel. Octavo, original green cloth, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece and 9 full-page uncolored illustrations after drawings by Tolkien. Near fine in a near fine first-issue dust jacket with the hand-correction to "Dodgeson" on the rear inside flap with a few small closed tears.

Published on September 21, with a first printing of only copies, The Hobbit had completely sold out by December Rare, especially in this condition. Before Bilbo Baggins returns home again, he journeys past wizards and elves, talkative trees and treasure-guarding dragons, all swirling in cosmic battle between good and evil.

Tolkien's fully realized fantasy world won over generations of children, and dazzled adults with its deft interweaving of medieval legend and made-up languages, maps, and creatures.

Tolkien legitimized the modern fantasy genre, and provided the 's counterculture with antiwar, back-to-Eden icons. Les Fleurs du Mal Presentation copy. Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, First edition. First issue with the running title misprint "Feurs" on p. Hostein, en lui demandant encore un peu de patience, Ch. Baudelaire had proposed a play to Hostein, a melodrama based on his poem Le Vin de l'assassin, where a worker kills his wife so that he can descend into drink without interruption or criticism.

Baudelaire never wrote the play, and perhaps he sent this book as an apology for still not producing his text see F. Hemmings, Baudelaire the Damned, Peeters of Antwerp, top edge gilt, others uncut, original yellow printed wrappers in their second state with the five typographical faults uncorrected and with the price of 3F.

This copy has bound at the end two facsimiles of the lower wrapper, in state A and state B, together with a printed note regarding Vicaire's research into the two states now superseded by Carteret's bibliography. Many of these copies bound without wrappers and many sold when the euro was much higher than it is today. American Primitive.

First edition, first printing, hardcover issue. Signed by Mary Oliver on the title page. Either a review copy or publisher's file copy, with publisher's slips tipped into front paste down. Dark bluish green cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Tape ghost to spine, else Fine in a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with light rubbing at the extremities and a vertical crease to the rear panel near the spine.

The American poet's Pulitzer-winning collection. Blues For Mister Charlie. New York: Dial Press, Baldwin's seventh book, a play set in a small town in the Deep South. He is killed, and the play pivots on his murder. First Printing. Ready for your next read?

Home Articles Fiction How do I tell if my book is a first edition? What is a first edition book? Should I care what edition my book is? Are all first editions valuable? How do I tell if my book is a first edition copy? The Dates If the date on a copyright page matches the date on the title page, it's likely that your copy is a first edition. The Edition Identifier Some publishers will print the words 'First Edition', 'First Printing', 'First Impression' or similar on their copyright page to make it easier to identify which printing a book was part of.