First Edition Books: Check Carefully Before You Buy
By Teresa Ambord
If you're serious about collecting books, you no doubt are hoping to find first edition hardbacks. But determining whether or not a book is a true first edition is not always an easy task. Publishing houses are not consistent in the way they indicate which printing a book is from. And terminology can be deceptive.
A true first edition is the first ever printing of a book, the first state in which a book becomes available to the public. A first printing may consist of 60,000 copies. Therefore, there are 60,000 first editions (also known as first/first or 1st/1st). Depending on the book, subsequent printings may be much smaller.
As in any endeavor, there are honest dealers and unscrupulous ones. Those of questionable character might like to pass off books as valuable first editions that aren't. For example, Book Club Editions are budget prints, but they may be stamped with the words, "first printed." These low-cost books usually have dust-jackets that don't list a price. Don't be fooled. Some true collector's items, such as a first-edition, dust-jacketed hardback copy of John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath (which sold in 1975 for $50) listed in 1995 for $2500. So before you lay out serious cash, do your homework to find out the true nature of the book.
How Can You Tell a True First Edition?
There are several ways. But because various publishers use different methods to indicate a first edition and some give no clue at all, the most reliable information is probably found in the author's autobiography. This should be easy to find on the Internet.
Here are some of the ways publishers differentiate between editions:
- The most common way to indicate a first edition is with a series of numbers on the copyright and dedication page, such as this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
- A book that was part of the second of eight printings will drop the 1, and look like this: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.
- But just when you think you can rely on this system, there are exceptions. Random House, for instance, indicates a first printing beginning with 2. So the first edition books that had six printings would look like this: 2 3 4 5 6 7.
- Other publishers use numeral one for the first printing, but list them backwards: 5 4 3 2 1 or use letters instead, a b c d e f.
Then again, some publishers don't use a number or letter system at all, but just add the words "First Edition" or "First Printing" or "First Impression."
Guide to First Edition Prices 2004/5, by Ray B. Russell - this is probably the biggest collection of information at the lowest price you can find. It is available on the UK Amazon.com website below. The price is listed in British pounds, but converts to roughly thirty-two dollars American.
If you're curious what some modern first editions books might sell for, here are two examples. A mint-condition first edition hardback copy of Stephen King's Carrie is listed on one website for $1250, and John Grisham's A Time to Kill, for $2500. Not bad!