We are an online reference guide providing collectors the details
necessary to help identify modern first edition books.

The key to establishing a book's value is to first ensure that it is a first edition. A first editions is the earliest printed copy of a published book. Collectors look for first edition books because these tend to have the highest demand and the greatest potential to increase in value over time. There are standard identification criteria that first editions conform because most, but not all, first edition books follow an established identification method established by each book publisher. These first edition criteria are details about what a book looked like when it was initially printed as a first edition. These details include details such as certain codes on the copyright page, the type of the binding, and particular text on the dust jacket.

In addition to the first edition criteria, there are sometimes points of issue that describe some part of a book which changes during the first printing without the standard first edition identification of the publisher changing, thus creating some copies of the first edition that have the point, and some that do not have the point. The most common type of first edition points of issue are typographical mistakes that were changed during the first printing. In these cases, the copies with the mistake are more desirable because they represent the earliest state of a first edition.

The fedpo.com website helps a collector understand the identification criteria and any first edition points of issue by describing details such as a book's binding, a specific typographical error, or a dust jacket review that can only be found on the earliest printings. First edition criteria and points of issue are usually subtle, but they are important features that distinguish a rare first edition from a common reprint.

The most common first edition criteria can be found on a book's copyright page. The copyright page may say that a book is a first edition, or a first printing, or first impression; and it may state additional printing information, or it may provide a printing code indicating what printing a book is from. Each publisher has used various methods over the years to indicate a book's edition and printing. Another common first edition indicator is a book's cover price, which is typically printed on the dust jacket. The presence of a price on a dust jacket is also the most fundamental way to ensure that the dust jacket is not from a book club edition or other type of reprint. Book club editions look similar to genuine first editions, but they are not first editions, and they have very little collectible value.

To find first edition criteria for a specific book, simply type in the name of the book, or the name of the author in the fields above; or browse all of our available entries by clicking on the bars at the bottom of this page. We have pages for hundreds of collectible books where we describe first edition criteria, provide photographs of known first editions, and provide pre-filled eBay, AbeBooks, and Biblio search links for each book so you can quickly establish its most recent market value.

April 10, 2012

The Angel Esmeralda was written by Don DeLillo. The first edition was published in 2011 by Scribner. It was 211 pages long, and the retail price was $24.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: Copyright page states First Scribner hardcover edition 2011 with full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. Boards are light blue with silver lettering on a dark blue cloth spine. Dust jacket has four blurbs of praise by Malcolm Jones, Michiko Kakutani, Vince Passaro, and Steven E. Alford. Click here for more photos...

April 08, 2012

The Marriage Plot was written by Jeffrey Eugenides. The first edition was published in 2011 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It was 406 pages long, and the retail price was $28.00.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: First edition, 2011 is stated on the top of the copyright page with a full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the bottom of the same page. Boards are black with gold lettering on the spine. Back of dust jacket has praise for Middlesex by Michiko Kakutani, Jeff Turrentine, Laura Miller, People, Dan Cryer, and Marta Salij.

Note: There is an "exclusive edition" of The Marriage Plot by Powell's Books for their Indiespensable series. It is a standard first edition with a special tipped in page signed by the author. The book was shipped in a limited edition slipcase exclusive to Indiespensable subscribers. It is not clear whether the slipcase was provided by the publisher, or whether this was simply an after-market add-on. Aside from the tipped in page, the book itself looks like every other first edition copy. Click here for more photos...

April 07, 2012

Open City was written by Teju Cole. The first edition was published in 2011 by Random House. It was 259 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: First Edition is stated below full number line 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page. Boards are yellow with gold lettering on a blue spine. Back of dust jacket has five reviews - by Colm Toibin, Rawi Hage, Anthony Doerr, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews. Click here for more photos...

April 01, 2012

The Buddha in the Attic was written by Julie Otsuka. The first edition was published in 2011 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 129 pages long, and the retail price was $22.00.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. Boards are red cloth with silver lettering on the spine. Back of dust jacket has seven acclaims for When the Emperor Was Divine - by Michiko Kakutani, The New Yorker, Amanda Heller, Susan Salter Reynolds, Michael Upchurch, Kate Washington, and Ellen Emry Heltzel. Click here for more photos...

March 31, 2012

Salvage the Bones was written by Jesmyn Ward. The first edition was published in 2011 by Bloomsbury. It was 259 pages long, and the retail price was $24.00. Salvage the Bones won the National Book Award.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First U.S. edition 2011 is stated above full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page. Boards are white. Dust jacket has four reviews by Nicholas Delbanco, Skip Horack, Travis Holland, and Laura Kasischke. Click here for more photos...

March 12, 2012

Tortilla Flat was written by John Steinbeck. The first edition was published in 1935 by Covici Friede. It was 317 pages long, and the retail price was $2.50.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: Copyright date states 1935 with no other years or subsequent printings listed. Copyright page also notes The Van Rees Press on the bottom. Book has oatmeal boards with blue lettering and blue top stain. The dust jacket illustration by Ruth Gannett is the same on the front and the back. The dust jacket has no review blurbs and does not mention the author's other novels. Click here for more photos...

March 11, 2012

Coming of Age in Samoa was written by Margaret Mead. The first edition was published in 1928 by William Morrow & Company. It was 297 pages long, and the retail price was $3.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: Title page states MCMXXVIII (1928), and copyright page states copyright 1928 by William Morrow & Company with no mention of subsequent printings. Boards are blue with silver palms on front cover and silver lettering on the spine. Dust Jacket cover features an illustration of a young Samoan couple. The dust jacket cover lacks review blurbs, but it does have the following subheading: "A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization.." Click here for more photos...

March 10, 2012

Binocular Vision was written by Edith Pearlman. The first edition was published in 2011 by Lookout Books. It was 375 pages long, and the retail price was $18.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The first edition is paperback with wrappers flaps (aka French Flaps) on the front and back. First printing, January 2011 is stated on the copyright page rather than the printing number line that is found on later printings. There are five reviews on the back from Ann Patchett, T.C. Boyle, Yiyun Li, Chris Adrian, and Brock Clarke.

The Publisher, Lookout Books, is part of the University of North Carolina. Click here for more photos...

March 09, 2012

Stone Arabia was written by Dana Spiotta. The first edition was published in 2011 by Scribner. It was 239 pages long, and the retail price was $24.00.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: First Scribner hardcover edition July 2011 is stated on the copyright page with full number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1. Boards are black with gold lettering on a red cloth spine. Back of dust jacket has 4 advance praise blurbs for Stone Arabia - by Joy Williams, Sam Lipstye, Thurston Moore, and Publishers Weekly - and one blurb for Eat the Document by Michiko Kakutani. Click here for more photos...

January 07, 2012

The Russian Debutante's Handbook was written by Gary Shteyngart. The first edition was published in 2002 by Riverhead Books. It was 452 pages long, and the retail price was $24.95.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2", and 2002 is stated on the title page. Boards are blue/green with gold lettering on a black spine. Front flap of dust jack has a single review from Kirkus Reviews. Back of dust jacket has two reviews - bt Chang-rae Lee and David Gates. Click here for more photos...

January 06, 2012

The Black Prince was written by Shirley Ann Grau. The first edition was published in 1955 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 294 pages long, and the retail price was $3.50.

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page, and 1955 is stated on the title page. Boards are light gray with maroon lettering on a yellow cloth spine. Top stain is red. Dust jacket has a photo of the author on the front, with the decription - "Nine stories by a young author who has a joy in writing and a rare vitality. Back of dust jacket has just a single review by Harriette Simpson Arnow, author of The Dollmaker. Click here for more photos...

December 17, 2011

Truman was written by David McCullough. The first edition was published in 1992 by Simon and Schuster. It was 1117 pages long, and the retail price was $30.00. Truman won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are light blue with TRUMAN blind embossed on the front, and with silver lettering on a dark blue cloth spine. Dust jacket has no review blurbs and does not mention being a bestseller or winning the Pulitzer Prize. Click here for more photos...

December 06, 2011

The Godfather was written by Mario Puzo. The first edition was published in 1969 by Putnam. It was 446 pages long, and the retail price was $6.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: Copyright page states Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11465 on the top, and printed by American Book-Stratford Press on the bottom, with no statements of additional impressions. Boards are white with a gold design on the front of a hand holding puppet strings, and gold lettering on a black cloth spine. Endpapers are brick-red. The first issue dust jacket is the same through at least the eight printing (the publisher uses the term "impression" instead of printing). The front and back of the dust jacket have the same design, and lack any reviews. The front flap of the dust jacket has a price on the top, and 6903 on the bottom which indicates the book was published in March of 1969. The back flap has three reviews for The Dark Arena, and two reviews for The Fortunate Pilgrim (including one by Joseph Heller.) Click here for more photos...

November 07, 2011

The Help was written by Kathryn Stockett. The first edition was published in 2009 by Putnam. It was 444 pages long, and the retail price was $24.95.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" and ISBN 978-0-399-15534-5. Boards are cream with yellow spine and gold lettering. Dust Jacket lacks bestseller or deluxe edition blurbs. Back of dust jacket has 7 reviews - by Adriana Trigiani, Marian Keyes, Beth Henley, Robert Hicks, Joshilyn Jackson, Jill Conner Browne, and Dorothea Benton Frank. Front of dust jacket has gold foil trim around the front title, and gold foil on the dust jack spine which makes it susceptible to bumps and dents. Click here for more photos...

November 06, 2011

The Tiger's Wife was written by Tea Obreht. The first edition was published in 2011 by Random House. It was 338 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition is stated on copyright page below full number line "2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1". Boards are black with gold lettering. Dust jacket has one review by Colum McCann on the front, and two reviews on the back - by T.C. Boyle and Ann Patchett.

Note: The Tiger's wife was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK 5 days before the Random House U.S. edition. However it appears that the original rights were sold to Random House, and Random House was the main publisher who performed the editing. This is evident by the fact that the UK edition has American spelling. The author's own website (www.teaobreht.com) reinforces this by listing only the Random House edition on her site, and linking only to the Random House website. Click here for more photos...

November 05, 2011

The Art of Fielding was written by Chad Harbach. The first edition was published in 2011 by Little, Brown. It was 512 pages long, and the retail price was $25.99.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: First Edition: September 2011 is stated in the middle of the copyright page, and full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 is present on the bottom of the copyright page. Board are navy blue cloth with Little Brown logo embossed on the front and silver lettering on the spine. Front of dust jacket has a quote from Jonanthan Franzen, which is taken from his review on the back of the dust jacket. Back of dust jacket has five reviews - by James Patterson, David James Duncan, Jay McInerney, Nicholas Dawidoff, and Jonathan Franzen. Click here for more photos...

November 04, 2011

Like Water for Chocolate was written by Laura Esquivel. The first edition was published in 1992 by Doubleday. It was 246 pages long, and the retail price was $17.50.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The true first edition was published in Mexico in 1989 as "Como Agua Para chocolate". The first U.S. edition was published by Doubleday in 1992. The first edition points for this U.S. edition are as follows:

FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page below full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are brown with gold lettering on a brown cloth spine. Front of Dust jacket lacks a yellow oval cirle that in later printings has either a review by USA Today, or a statement that says "NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM Miramax". Back of dust jacket has a photo of the author, and three reviews - by Sandra Cisneros, Diana Kennedy, and Elena Poniatowska. Click here for more photos...

October 11, 2011

Star Spangled Summer was written by Janet Lambert. The first edition was published in 1941 by Dutton and Company. It was 281 pages long, and the retail price was $2.00.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page, and 1941 is stated on the bottom of the title page. Boards are brick red cloth with black lettering. Dust jacket also states FIRST EDITION on the bottom of the front flap, next to the the price.

Author's first book, and considered by many to be her finest. This book also became the first in the Penny Parrish series followed by Dreams of Glory in 1942, Glory Be! in 1943, Up Goes the Curtain in 1946, Practically Perfect in 1947, and The Reluctant Heart in 1950.

The first edition was illustrated by Sandra James. Click here for more photos...

September 30, 2011

The Peter Principle was written by Laurence J. Peter. The first edition was published in 1969 by William Morrow and Company. It was 179 pages long, and the retail price was $4.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: There are no dots underneath the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number on the copyright page, and no references to subsequent printings. Boards are red with gold lettering on a black cloth spine, with red top stain and yellow endpapers. Dust jacket contains no reviews, and the jacket design credit by S. A. Summit is found on the bottom of the front flap.

Later printings lack the red top stain, and are noted by dots under the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number on the copyright page. Later issue dust jackets have reviews by Richard Armour and Charles Schulz on the front flap, and R. Buckminster Fuller on the back flap. Later issue dust jackets also have the jacket design credit on the back flap. Click here for more photos...

August 27, 2011

The Perfect Storm was written by Sebastian Junger. The first edition was published in 1997 by Norton & Company, Inc.. It was 227 pages long, and the retail price was $23.95.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: First Edition is stated at top of copyright page, and there is a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 0 on the bottom of the copyright page. Boards are gray with black and silver lettering on a red cloth spine. Dust jacket has two reviews on the back - Patrick O'Brian and Dava Sobel. Dust jacket does not mention the book book being a bestseller, or that it is now a major motion picture. Click here for more photos...

This website is intended to help guide you and give you insight into what to look for when identifying first editions. As such, the information presented here may not always be 100% accurate. Gathering and updating information about these books is more an art than a science, so some of our first edition criteria and points may be wrong. If you spot a mistake, drop us an e-mail and we will do our best to investigate and fix it.

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We are an online reference guide providing collectors the details necessary to help identify modern first edition books.

We are an online reference guide providing collectors the details
necessary to help identify modern first edition books.