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 meets all of its First Edition Points. First Edition Points are details about what a book looked like when it was initially printed as a first edition. Collectors look for first printings of first edition books because these tend to have the highest demand and the greatest potential to increase in value over time. First Edition Points help a collector identify a first edition by describing details such as a book's binding, a specific first printing typo, or a dust jacket review that can only be found on the first printing. First Edition Points are usually subtle, but they are important features that distinguish a rare first edition from a common reprint.

The most common First Edition Point 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 Point 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. 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 Points 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 points of issue by clicking on the bars at the bottom of this page. We have pages for hundreds of collectible books where we describe First Edition Points, 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.

August 24, 2010

Mother of Pearl was written by Melinda Haynes. The first edition was published in 1999 by Hyperion. It was 448 pages long, and the retail price was $23.95. Mother of Pearl is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

First edition Points: Copyright page states First Edition with full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and ISBN 0-7868-6485-0. Boards are terra cotta with silver lettering on a black cloth spine.

Later printings are bound with solid black cloth, and have a different ISBN (0-7868-6627-6). ISBN changes sometimes occur after a book is chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection. The first state dust jacket lacks the Oprah's Book Club logo, and has the original ISBN on the bar code (ISBN 0-7868-6485-0). The second state dust jacket features the Oprah's Book Club logo on the front, and the updated ISBN 0-7868-6627-6 on the bar code. Books with the ISBN change and second state dust jackets are considered to be Oprah editions. The price listed on the Oprah edition dust jackets are the same as the price listed on the true first edition.

Note: We have seen first state dust jackets (the ones with ISBN 0-7868-6485-0 bar codes) on books that appear to be Oprah editions - that is, they are second printing books with the updated ISBN 0-7868-6627-6 on the copyright page. This leads us to believe that the same printer who produced the first editions also produced the Oprah editions. They probably placed first issues jackets on the early Oprah editions until the stock was exhausted. After that, they used the second state Oprah dust jackets.

Also noteworthy is the fact that both the true first and the Oprah dust jackets state that Mother of Pearl is a selection of the Book of the Month Club, and yet we have not yet run across a (non-Oprah) book club edition. Click here for more photos...

August 09, 2010

Doctor Zhivago (UK) was written by Boris Pasternak. The first edition was published in 1958 by Collins and Harvill Press. It was 510 pages long, and the retail price was 21s. net.

Here are the first edition points: Doctor Zhivago was first published (in Italian) by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore of Milan, Italy in November of 1957. The first editions in English were translated by Manya Harari and Max Hayward, and were published by Collins and Harvill in the UK and Pantheon in the U.S. The wording on the Pantheon copyright page lists Collins and Harvill as the copyright holder of the English translation, and Pantheon as the copyright holder of authorized revisions to the English translation. The copyright page of the Collins and Harvill first edition makes no mention of Pantheon at all. This suggests that the work was first translated into British English, and then was revised by Pantheon to American English. This assumption make sense because both translators were British. Combine this with the fact that one of the translators, Manya Harari, was one of the co-founder of Collins and Harvill Press, and it becomes clear that Collins and Harvill was the primary publisher of the english edition.

The first UK edition states 1958 on the bottom of the title page, and the copyright page has only six lines (all on the bottom) with no references to first or subsequent impressions. Boards are red cloth with gold lettering on the spine. The first issue dust jacket can be found on first and early impressions (printings) of the first edition. It has a photo of the author on the back panel, a biography of the author on the back flap, and lacks any review blurbs or references to the Nobel Prize. Click here for more photos...

August 08, 2010

Gift from the Sea was written by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The first edition was published in 1955 by Pantheon. It was 128 pages long, and the retail price was $2.75.

The first edition points are as follows: Copyright pages states "Copyright 1955 by Anne Morrow Lindbergh" with no additional printings listed. There are four titles listed on the "By the Same Author" page that ends with "The Steep Ascent". Boards are tan pictorial with sea shells, and a green/blue cloth spine. Dust jacket has a biography below a photo of the author by Lucia Nebel White. There are no review blurbs on the dust jacket. Click here for more photos...

August 07, 2010

Birdy was written by William Wharton. The first edition was published in 1979 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 310 pages long, and the retail price was $8.95. Birdy won the National Book Award.

Here are the first edition points: First Edition is stated on the copyright page. Boards are blue with gilt lettering on a white cloth spine. There is a wing blind-stamped on the front board, and a pale blue top stain to the pages. Back of dust jacket has a single review - by Kirkus Reviews. Click here for more photos...

June 15, 2010

Other Voices, Other Rooms was written by Truman Capote. The first edition was published in 1948 by Random House. It was 231 pages long, and the retail price was $2.75.

The first edition points are as follows: FIRST PRINTING is stated on the top of the copyright page. Binding is beige cloth with red lettering and blue/green line. Dust jacket features photo of the author on the back with a single review blurb by Marguerite Young. The rear dust jacket flap has a single review blurb by Herschel Brickell for Capote's short story, "Miriam". Click here for more photos...

May 18, 2010

Songs of the Humpback Whale was written by Jodi Picoult. The first edition was published in 1992 by Faber & Faber. It was 343 pages long, and the retail price was $22.95.

Here are the first edition points: Below is what we believe to be the first edition of Songs of the Humpback Whale. No additional printings are listed on the copyright page. Boards are beige with black lettering on a dark tan cloth spine. The price is listed on the back of the dust jacket panel rather than on the front flap. The back panel also has a single review by Mary Morris. The back flap has a photo of the author above a biography describing Song of the Humpback Whale as her first novel, with no mention of her later works. The back flap also has two more reviews - by Ann Hood, and Michael Martone. Click here for more photos...

May 10, 2010

Through a Glass Darkly was written by Karleen Koen. The first edition was published in 1986 by Random House. It was 743 pages long, and the retail price was $19.95.

First edition Points: First Edition is stated on the copyright page below full Random House number "24689753". Boards are purple with author's initials on the front in metallic purple, and with gold lettering on a dark blue cloth spine. Dust jacket has a single review on the back panel by Jean Auel. The back dust jacket flap has a photo of the author and a biography that mentions no other book except for Through a Glass Darkly (her first book). Click here for more photos...

April 29, 2010

All the King's Men was written by Robert Penn Warren. The first edition was published in 1946 by Harcourt Brace and Company. It was 464 pages long, and the retail price was $3.00. All the King's Men won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

First edition Points: "first edition" is stated on copyright page. Boards are maroon. 1st state dustjacket has Sinclair Lewis blurb on the back, and the corners of the flaps are clipped (not price clipped).

A less expensive alternative is the signed Franklin Library edition. Click here for more photos...

April 20, 2010

Rabbit is Rich was written by John Updike. The first edition was published in 1981 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 467 pages long, and the retail price was $13.95. Rabbit is Rich won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award.

Here are the first edition points: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. 1981 is listed on the title page.

350 copies of the first edition were printed on special paper and were specially bound in gray cloth. Each of these were signed and numbered. These editions also have a gold dust jacket and were issued in a slip case.

The binding on the rest of the first editions is yellow cloth with gold and silver lettering and red top stain. The dust jacket is black with a Susan B. Anthony dollar and a rainbow on the front. Back of dust jacket has five reviews altogether. The first three reviews are by Mary McCarthy, Norman Mailer, and Angus Wilson for Rabbit, Run. The last two reviews are by Brendan Gill and Richard Locke for Rabbit Redux. Click here for more photos...

April 15, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was written by J.K. Rowling. The first edition was published in 2007 by Bloomsbury. It was 607 pages long, and the retail price was £17.99.

Here are the first edition points: "First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc" is stated on the copyright page toward the top, and "First Edition" is stated near the bottom. The boards are illustrated to match the dust jacket. Click here for more photos...

April 14, 2010

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was written by J.K. Rowling. The first edition was published in 2005 by Bloomsbury. It was 607 pages long, and the retail price was £16.99.

The first edition points are as follows: "First published in Great Britain in 2005" is stated on the copyright page toward the top, and "First Edition" is stated near the bottom. The boards are illustrated to match the dust jacket. Click here for more photos...

April 12, 2010

Tinkers was written by Paul Harding. The first edition was published in 2009 by Bellevue Literary Press. It was 191 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00. Tinkers won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Here are the first edition points: Update The publisher has confirmed that there were softcover and hardcover first editions that were published simultaneously. There were approximately 3,500 softcover copies in the first printing, and probably 1,250 hardcovers. Book Passage Bookstore orderd 250 hardcovers for their first edition club members from a printing that they believed to be 500 copies. The other 250 of these copies were likely distributed to other book stores in the west coast. There was also another issue of the hardcover produced for Powell's Books. The Powell's hardcovers were issued with a special numbered page as part of their "Indiespensable" subscribers series. The special page indicates that there were 750 of these books printed. It is not at all clear which hardcover issue preceeds the other. The publisher maintains that they all were published at the same time; and this is supported by the fact that the copyright page number lines are identical on both issues.

The copyright page on the softcover is also identical to that of the hardcover. FIRST EDITION is stated above a full number line "1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2", and below two ISBNs - one for the softcover (978-1-934137-12-3 pbk) and one for the hardcover (978-1-934137-19-2 hc). There are four reviews on the back of both editions - by Marilynne Robinson, Barry Unsworth, Elizabeth McCracken, and Publishers Weekly. The front of the softcover repeats the first four words of the Marilynne Robinson review. The front of the hardcover lacks this tout. The price on the hardcover dust jacket it $25.00. There should be no mention of the Pulitzer Prize anywhere on the first editions.

Caution: We have now seen what appears to be print-on-demand softcover editions sold by Amazon. These also state FIRST EDITION and they have a complete number line. However it appears that they are using the copyright page from the Advance Reader's Copy which states that it was first published in 2008 on the top, lacks the hardcover ISBN near the bottom, and is missing a statement of support by the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation in the middle. These print-on-demand edtions state "WINNER of the PULTIZER PRIZE" on the front cover, and state the exact date they were printed on the last page. Click here for more photos...

April 05, 2010

A Lost Lady was written by Willa Cather. The first edition was published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 174 pages long.

Here are the first edition points: The first edition consisted of 20 copies on "Borzoi all rag paper signed by the author and numbered A to T"; 200 copies on "Borzoi all rag paper signed by the author and numbered 1 to 200"; and 20,000 first trade editions on "English featherweight paper."

Below is the first trade edition which states "Published September, 1923" on the copyright page with no statements of subsequent printings. Binding is light green cloth with title in gold script on the front, the title above the author name on the spine, patterned endpapers in green and pink, purple top stain, and title page printed in black and green. The green dust jacket has no price. It has reviews for One of Ours on the front flap, reviews for Youth and the Bright Medusa on the back flap, and a description of A Lost Lady on the back panel.

There are at least three states of the first trade edition often referred to as States A, B, and C. State A is the first issue and it is distinguished by textual points on pages 157, 163, 164, 171, 173, and 174. Descriptions can be found below in the photo section of this page. Click here for more photos...

March 30, 2010

V. was written by Thomas Pynchon. The first edition was published in 1963 by Lippincott. It was 492 pages long, and the retail price was $5.95.

First edition Points: Copyright page has no mention of additional impressions. The copyright text is justified in a V pattern beginning with "COPYRIGHT © 1961, 1963 by Thomas Pynchon", and ending with "Manufactured in the United States of America by H. Wolf, N.Y. Designed by Marshall Lee." Boards are purple cloth with blindstamp "V"s on front with silver lettering and a large V on the spine. Top stain is blue. The dust jacket has chapter headings on the back and no reviews. $5.95 price is on the bottom right corner of the dust jacket front flap. Click here for more photos...

March 26, 2010

The Stand was written by Stephen King. The first edition was published in 1978 by Doubleday and Company. It was 823 pages long, and the retail price was $12.95.

Here are the first edition points: First Edition is stated on the bottom of the copyright page, with 1978 on title page, and "T39" gutter code on page 823. Boards are mustard with gold lettering on a black cloth spine. The first issue dust jacket has a price of $12.95 on the front flap, and a 35-line quote from the book on the back. The author bio on the back dust jacket flap mentions earlier books only - Carrie, The Shining, Salem's Lot, and Night Shift. Click here for more photos...

March 25, 2010

Episode in Palmetto was written by Erskine Caldwell. The first edition was published in 1950 by Duell, Sloan and Pearce. It was 252 pages long, and the retail price was $2.75.

The first edition points are as follows: First edition is stated on the copyright page with no references to subsequent printings. Binding is light green cloth. Back of the dust jacket has photo of the author next to the author's name, and without any critical reviews - only the phrase "America's Best-Selling Novelist". The top of the dust jacket front flap has the $2.75 price. The back dust jacket flap has an advertisement for the uniform edition of Erskine Caldwell. The publisher's name and address is at the bottom of both flaps. Click here for more photos...

March 22, 2010

Raintree County was written by Ross Lockridge. The first edition was published in 1948 by Houghton Mifflin Company. It was 1066 pages long, and the retail price was $3.95.

Here are the first edition points: 1948 is stated on the title page. Binding is green cloth with no book-of-the-month club dot on lower rear of board (near the the spine). The first issue dust jacket has a photo of the author on the back panel over a three paragraph biography where the third paragraph states that the author "has four children". This paragraph was removed after the author's death, but might have been restored in a facsimile edition decades later. The front flap of the first issue jacket has a price on the top, and there is no mention anywhere on the jacket that this book was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

All first printings seem to have the question "Wasn't Jesus God's?" on line 3 of page 152. We therefore do not consider it to be a first edition point. The question was removed shortly after the first printing, and was eventually restored decades later.

We have seen editions in tan bindings, but we have never observed one with 1948 on the title page, and this suggests that they are not first printings. Some tan binding books lack the book club dot, and some contain the "Wasn't Jesus God's?" question on page 152. These are probably early printings of the first edition. Their existence strengthens our believe that all first printings likely contain the "Wasn't Jesus God's?" question.

The background story of Raintree County and the Lockridge family history can be found at the Raintree County Home Page.
Click here for more photos...

March 20, 2010

The Dead Zone was written by Stephen King. The first edition was published in 1979 by Viking Press. It was 426 pages long, and the retail price was $11.95.

The first edition points are as follows: "First published in 1979 by The Viking Press" is stated on the copyright page with no references to subsequent printings. Boards are black with author's initials embossed on the front, and gold lettering on a black cloth spine. The dust jacket has no reviews. Back of dust jacket has an 11-line quote from the book with ISBN on the bottom right corner. The back dust jacket flap has a photo of the author above a 4-line bio. Click here for more photos...

March 18, 2010

Noah's Compass was written by Anne Tyler. The first edition was published in 2009 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 277 pages long, and the retail price was $25.95.

Here are the first edition points: First Edition is stated on the copyright page with 2009 on the title page. Boards are light green with copper lettering on a textured light gray spine.

Noah's Compass raises significant questions about what it means when a book is published. As you can see from the first edition photos, all indications are that it was published in 2009. The copyright page states First Edition with 2009 as the copyright date. The title page states 2009. The back dust jacket flap has the code "10/2009", which indicates that the published time frame was around October 2009. There is in fact no mention of 2010 anywhere on the book. We even found a library copy where the Received Date was December 31, 2009 - and this lets us know that at least some copies were released in 2009.

Yet the publisher says that the publication date is January, 2010 on their website. The publisher also issued a "Signed Edition" limited to 50 copies; which is basically a regular first edition with a embossed band around the book, and a book plate signed by the author - this book plate explicitly states "FIRST EDITION 2010".

All of this suggests that the publisher intended to publish the book in 2009, and released some books in 2009. But for some reason the publisher changed its mind and declared a new publishing date after the book was already produced. So rather than changing the 2009 publishing information in the book, they left it alone, and simply declared a new publishing date, which they published on their website, in press releases, and on 50 "Signed Edition" book plates.

That said, we decided to go with the original information in the book and list its publication date as 2009. Our reasoning is that the year printed in the book will last longer than the "official" revised date which will only be evident in the 50 limited "Signed Editions". Click here for more photos...

March 08, 2010

Stallion Gate was written by Martin Cruz Smith. The first edition was published in 1986 by Random House. It was 321 pages long, and the retail price was $17.95.

The first edition points are as follows: First Edition is stated below Random House number line "24689753" AND there is no book club dot on the back boards. Boards are blue/purple with silver lettering on a navy blue spine. The ISBN is present on the lower right corner of the dust jacket back panel.

Note: while the book club dust jacket can easily be identified by lack of price and lack of ISBN, the book itself states first edition with the same number line. The only difference between the true first edition book and the book club edition book is a small embossed dot on the back of the book club boards near the spine (see photo). 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 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.

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.