First edition most often refers to the first commercial publication of a work between its own covers, even if it was first printed in a periodical. In publishing terms, a first edition book is all copies that were printed from the same setting of type as when first published. Abebooks offers an immense collection of first edition books for sale, including some of the most famous books ever published. By far the most valuable book in the series is the first, harry potter and the philosophers stone, published on 30 june 1997 by bloomsbury in london. Lately, first edition has become widely accepted tto mean first edition, first printing when buying or selling books although, technically speaking, it shouldnt be. Nov 08, 2012 so if a book has had more than one printing, how can you tell which one you have and therefore whether or not your edition is a true first. The majority of booksellers and collectors want the true first edition the edition of the book that supersedes all other editions chronologically and sometimes detective work is required to identify the true first. According to the definition of edition above, a book printed today, by the same publisher, and from the same type as when it was first published, is still the first edition of that book to a bibliographer. If no changes are made to the book, such as a new chapter, a new preface by the author, etc. Typically, you will want to start with the page as a first glance into a books lineage. There are exceptions so check the list of publishers. First edition copies state first edition on the page and the number sequence will be 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3. There may be multiple printings of a single edition. Generally, the edition doesnt change unless the content in the book or the publisher changes.
All the books i just ordered online are first editions. While not as valuable a first editions, second editions of some books can certainly be. Another note here on the use of the term first edition. Identifying first editions the new antiquarian the blog. So, if the publisher prints 5,000 copies of a book, they all sell, and the publisher goes back to print more of the same version of the book. The best way is to look at the string of numbers on the page. The sequence of the numbers varies between publishers but the basic principal remains the same apart from a few exceptions a first issue edition impression requires the presence of the number 1. If there are two or more books described as a first edition, then a collector will want to know which one is superior. Like many things in publishing, what denotes a first edition can be complex and dependent on the whims of individual publishing houses. Each company does their first edition identification if they do any at all differently, so unless youve got a handydandy housebyhouse guide, the whole concept can make you go a bit crosseyed.
But publishers are the only ones who use the term that way. Find first edition copies of any book, searches over 150 million books so you find the exact book you need. You must determine what condition the book is in as mint, fine, good, poor or junk. The words first edition appear underneath the notice, which can be found on the back of the title page.
A book is very hard to value without seeing it as one persons mint might be another persons poor. Also, book club edition dust jackets dj are occasionally found on first editions to replace lost or damaged jackets. Abebooks explains how to identify a first edition book youtube. The year when the publishing house began to follow this convention is unknown. However, to most booksellers and collectors, a true first edition is both the.
In collecting terms, a general definition of 1st edition book would be a works first commercially available appearance in book form, printed with the original setting of type. The first edition is simply the first published version of a book. Sometimes publishers include the words first edition next to the number line, even if the book was on its third printing, according abe books website. Trim size is given because book club editions are often smaller than trade editions. You first must determine what edition you have as most prices quoted are for first editions only. The page may even still say first edition on it somewhere. But a first edition, first state is more desired and valuable among collectors, as a first edition usually is closest to the most original source. The vast majority of first editions published before 1900 had the year of publication on the title page this is true for fiction and nonfiction titles. To a publisher, all printings within an edition are the first edition. Many publishers will print the hardcover edition of a book and call that a first edition, then print the same text in paperback and call it a first edition as well. But there are a few very basic rules that can be helpful. Heres how to tell if what youre reading is a first edition or not.
Find a first edition of your favorite book to add to your own collection or as a gift for the bibliophile in your life. Copyright date the first thing you want to do is check the date. A big thing to look for when determining if a book is a first edition, or a book club edition is size. Sometimes, the publisher will clearly write which edition of the book you have on the bottom of the page. How to identify first editions book collecting guide. Thus a random house book before about 2003 stating first edition starting with the number 2 is a first edition, first state book. Unless the author or publishers makes changes to the text, adds something like an appendix or authors note, or revises the text, there is only one edition from format to format. How to identify first editions or a first printing of a book. Oct 03, 2018 how to tell if you have a harry potter first edition. As weve mentioned elsewhere, first edition means the first printing of a book. Modern bestsellers, obscure novels, out of print books, classic literature from the victorian age.
Each publisher has their own conventions for what they use to tell the first printing of their books, and to further complicate matters, they tend to periodically change. To confuse matters, a first state is a term for the first printed form a book takes each state referring to a minor change or group of changes to the type or paper. This image from mywingsbooks guide to bce demonstrates the subtle differences in the smaller size of hardcover bce books. Jun 03, 2014 how to easily identify a modern first edition book antiques hunter. Oct 03, 2019 many publishers will print the hardcover edition of a book and call that a first edition, then print the same text in paperback and call it a first edition as well. Sometimes publishers include the words first edition next.
A true story of murder, family secrets, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood kindle edition. However, book collectors generally use the term first edition to mean specifically the first print run of the first edition aka first edition, first impression. In the world of book collecting, a first edition is generally considered to be the first appearance of a work, in its first printing. The legend of william tell is related very effectively in this book. A popular book may have had dozens of additional printings causing its first printing to be the most valuable.
To publishers, a first edition is the first version of a book before changes are made forewords added, afterwords added, typos corrected, whatever requires a new typeset. How to identify first editions and care for old books. A new version of the book is then typeset, which becomes the second edition. However, if there are other editions listed, your book will be the most recent one. Changes of this nature can include adding a chapter or the addition of a foreword, for example. There are thousands of publishers and they use a large variety of methods, which are often changed, to define first editions.
How to easily identify a modern first edition book youtube. If the publisher prints more copies of the identical book, those are not first editions. If its from a small press, which often run one printing of their books, youre sometimes safe assuming what you have is a first edition unless otherwise. Remember that different publishers have their own criteria. How do you tell a vintage book or first edition answers. A number 3 would indicate this first edition 3 4 5 6 7 8. For example 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 indicates a first printing. So, you have just entered the world of book collecting, and have probably. As you can see, this book has been extremely successful its in its 12th printing. Jan 22, 2020 to tell the edition of a book, look at the bottom of the page. A general rule is that if the number 1 is listed, the book is a first edition.
The idea is to get the book as it appeared in the bookstores the day it was released, says john larson, specialist in 19th and 20thcentury literature at swann auction galleries. The different types of number lines and a few noteworthy editions of certain titles are mentioned. How you can tell the difference between a first edition, first printing, and a book club edition of a collectible book and why it matters. Oct 10, 2019 the main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first issue are a print line that reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and the crediting of joanne rowling, not jk. The sentence structure is simple and direct but not babyish as so many storybooks are. Can a first edition of a book be identified by its isbn. The best site on the net for info on rare stephen king books. Oct 17, 2011 identifying a first edition is no simple matter. Find out how to tell if a book is a first edition with this handy.
Generally speaking, a first printing will have the same isbn as all subsequent printings, unless the book changes publishers, formats, or is reissued with some hoopla. Look for the words first edition on the copyright page this will fluctuate depending on the publishing house, but. Mcgrawhill book company, inc prior to 1956, books are sometimes labeled first edition on the title page but all books should only have a single date to be firsts. For printings beyond the 10th, random house adds a 1 to the number line and a letter to its center so that, for instance, 2468b97531 would. This date is often preceded with the words first published or first edition. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Signed first edition of the wonderful wizard of oz. Doubleday has issued the following statements regarding the identification of its first editions. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable. If the sequence of numbers contains a 1, it is likely. For example, random house did use, until roughly 2003, the words first edition in place of the number 1. Edition and printing can be used fairly interchangeably in talking about collectible books, especially in regard to modern fiction.
There are several ways to tell if a book is vintage or first edition. At first this can become somewhat confusing because when a book becomes very popular and is often reprinted many times over a number. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition set and. Identifying and collecting first editions shop for books. Books have tales to tell, and if youve stumbled on an old volume, you likely want to learn its history.
First edition identification by publisher ag in the case of titles published before 1900, the key to first edition identification is often the date on the title page. Rowling s harry potter series has gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide, and first editions of her books have very quickly become collectable. The images above are from one of my favorite books, the book of awesome. As the book series grew in popularity the later books were printed by the millions even on the first print run, so for the final books in the series first editions are not remotely rare. The presence of a date on the title page alone may identify books published prior to the mid1800s as first editions. If any updates or changes are made to the text, or the book is released in a new format such as paperback vs. Sep 24, 2010 a book may go through many printings and still be considering the first edition.
Firstly its important to establish what actually constitutes a harry potter first edition. To a book collector the phrase first edition refers to a book that was released during the first printing of the first edition they call this book a 1st1st. The first edition continues until the book is changed. How to tell which printing a book is from broken secrets. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable book riot. If there are no other editions listed, the book you have is the first edition.
Are the books on your shelves or in your grandparents attic worth something. The beginners guide to identifying first editions book riot. Book collectors frequently ask how can i identify a first edition of a book. The first edition of a trade book may be the first iteration of the work printed by the publisher in question or the first iteration of the work that includes a specific set of illustrations or editorial commentary. The book collectors definition is the first printing of the first edition. First edition identification by publisher ag book collecting tips. I wonder at how this was done in 32 pages, with full page illustrations on half of those pages. The sequence of the numbers varies between publishers but the basic principal remains the same apart from a few exceptions a first issueeditionimpression requires the presence of the number 1. So if you ask the printer to print 10,000 copies of a book and then you sell them all and go back and ask for another 7,500 copies, the first 10,000 copies was the first printing. The publisher may actually state the words first edition or first printing on the page. The tone is neither patronizing nor is the language dumbed down. A book can go through several print cycles, sometimes with edits that add in author notes or additional material, so the book in its original form during its initial release or first printing to the public is what is generally defined as a first edition by collectors and sellers. Most collectors prize the first edition, first printing because it was the way the book first appeared. First edition 24689753, to first editions, and removed the first edition statement from subsequent printings e.
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