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 15, 2013

The Orphan Master's Son was written by Adam Johnson. The first edition was published in 2012 by Random House. It was 443 pages long, and the retail price was $26.00. The Orphan Master's Son won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page below the full Random House number line "9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1". Boards are black with red metallic lettering on the spine. Back of dust jacket has four advance praise reviews about the book by Abraham Verghese, David Mitchell, Charles Bock, and Publishers Weekly; and has two praise blurbs about the author by Jennifer Egan and The New York Times Book Review. Click here for more photos...

April 14, 2013

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank was written by Nathan Englander. The first edition was published in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 207 pages long, and the retail price was $24.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition is stated at the bottom of the copyright page. Boards are gray with silver lettering on a black cloth spine. Front dust jacket flap has single review by Gary Shteyngart. Back of dust jacket has 10 A-List reviews by Michael Chabon, Tea Obreht, Jonathan Franzen, Colum McCann, Jennifer Egan, Geraldine Brooks, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers, and Richard Russo. Click here for more photos...

March 31, 2013

The Yellow Birds was written by Kevin Powers. The first edition was published in 2012 by Little, Brown and Company. It was 230 pages long, and the retail price was $24.99.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition: September 2012 is stated on the copyright page with full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Boards are cream with gold lettering on the spine. Front of dust jacket has four reviews - three on the top by Colm Toibin, Ann Patchett, and Anthony Swofford; and one review on the bottom bt Tom Wolfe. The front flap of the dust jacket has a more detailed review by Ann Patchett. The back of the dust jacket has seven reviews by Alice Sebold, Colm Toibin, Anthony Swofford, Philip Caputo, Chris Cleave, Philipp Meyer, and Daniel Woodrell. Click here for more photos...

January 30, 2013

Magnificence was written by Lydia Millet. The first edition was published in 2012 by Norton & Company. It was 255 pages long, and the retail price was $25.95.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: First Edition is stated on copyright page with full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 on the bottom. Boards are yellow cloth with green metallic lettering on a yellow paper spine. Front dust jacket flap has a single blurb by David Ulin of the Los Angeles Times. The back of the dust jacket has six reviews for Ghost Lights by Josh Emmons, Carolyn Cooke, Tricia Springstubb, Martha Stewart Whole Living, Minna Proctor, and Brock Clarke. Click here for more photos...

January 29, 2013

A Hologram For The King was written by Dave Eggers. The first edition was published in 2012 by McSweeney's Books. It was 312 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: First Printing is stated on the copyright page. Boards are bronze textured cloth with gold lettering. The back board has a removable sticker with a synopsis of the novel, information about the author, and pricing. Click here for more photos...

January 28, 2013

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk was written by Ben Fountain. The first edition was published in 2012 by Ecco Press. It was 307 pages long, and the retail price was $25.99.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page with full line number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Boards are white with silver lettering on a white cloth spine. Dust jacket should make no mention of the book being a finalist for the National Book Award.

The back of the dust jacket contains 5 advance review blurbs for this book by Madison Smartt Bell, Karl Marlantes, Pat Conroy, Margot Livesey, and Tom Bissell. The back of the dust jack also contains a single review for the author's previous novel by the New York Times Book Review. Click here for more photos...

January 26, 2013

The Sportswriter was written by Richard Ford. The first edition was published in 1986 by Vintage Contemporaries. It was 375 pages long, and the retail price was $6.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The first edition was published by Vintage Contemporaries, a division of Random House. FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. Binding is softcover with pictorial wrappers. The front wrapper has a review blurb by Frederick Exley. The back wrapper contains quotes by Frederick Exley, Raymond Carver, and Tobias Wolff.

The Sportswriter was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was the first of a trilogy that was followed by the Pulitzer Prize winning Independence Day, and Lay of the Land. The Sportswriter's official publication date was March 20, 1986. Click here for more photos...

January 04, 2013

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was written by J.K. Rowling. The first edition was published in 1998 by Bloomsbury. It was 251 pages long, and the retail price was £10.99.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: "First published in Great Britain in 1998" is stated on the copyright page with full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and the printer stated as "Clays Ltd, St Ives plc". The copyright page must not contain the statement "This edition produced for The Book People Ltd," as this indicates a reprint. The boards are illustrated to match the dust jacket. The dust jacket has a price of £10.99 on the bottom corner of the front flap. Two reviews on the dust jacket back - by The Sunday Times, and The Independent on Saturday.

The first printing and other early printings of the hardcover lack the Hogwarts logo on the copyright page. The logo was added to later printings of the hardcover and can be found on all printings of the paperback edition, including the first.

There are numberous typographical errors found on all first and early printings, including first and early paperback printings. None of these errors were changed during the first printing run, so they are not considered first edition points. Most notable among these errors is on page 245 where is says "because Lord Voldemort -- who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin -- can speak Parseltongue..." The word "ancestor" was changed to "descendant". Again, these errors are not first edition points.

There are also some stylistic differences found on the dust jacket front flaps of first and early printings. They are also not first edition points because they are found on all first editions. But they are more important to note because it is possible to marry a later issue dust jacket to a first printing book. There is a photo below that compares the first issue front flap to a later issue front flap from a 28th printing. The differences can be found in the two reviews on the bottom where the book title, and the words Harry Potter are not italicized. Also note that the reviewers' name and age lack comma separators, and the age notations are capitalized on the first issue flap. Click here for more photos...

December 27, 2012

The Round House was written by Louise Erdrich. The first edition was published in 2012 by Harper Collins. It was 321 pages long, and the retail price was $27.99. The Round House won the National Book Award.

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated on copyright page with full number line on bottom - 12 13 14 15 16 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Boards are light gray with copper lettering on black cloth spine. Back of first issue dust jacket has a single review quote by USA Today. The first issue dust jacket has no New York Times Bestseller blurb on the cover, and does not have a National Book Award stamp.

Note: There is also a "Signed Edition" of the first edition which is exactly like other first editions, but it has an additional bound-in signature page. The signature page states "THIS SIGNED EDITION OF THE ROUND HOUSE BY Louise Erdrich HAS BEEN SPECIALLY BOUND BY THE PUBLISHER". The copyright page for both editions is identical and states the ISBN for both the "Hardcover" first edition, and the "Signed Edition". Click here for more photos...

July 30, 2012

Tara Road was written by Maeve Binchy. The first edition was published in 1998 by Orion Books. It was 488 pages long, and the retail price was £16.99. Tara Road is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

The first edition can be identified by the following criteria: The first edition is the UK edition. "First published in Great Britain in 1998 by Orion" is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent impressions. Boards are kelly green with metalic green lettering on the spine. Back of dust jacket has seven reviews for the author's previous novel, Evening Class. The reviews are from The Times, Irish Times, Daily Mail, Express, Irish Independent, She, and OK Magazine.

Note: The U.S. edition was published a year after the UK edition. Click here for more photos...

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...

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.