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.

January 31, 2008

Daughter of Fortune was written by Isabel Allende. The first edition was published in 1999 by Harper Collins. It was 399 pages long, and the retail price was $26.00. Daughter of Fortune is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated in the middle of the copyright page, and number line "99 00 01 02 03" and "/HC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" is on the bottom of the copyright page. Boards are black with gilt lettering on the spine. There were a limited, but unspecified number of first edition copies that had a special page tipped-in that was signed by the author. Click here for more photos...

January 30, 2008

Against the Day was written by Thomas Pynchon. The first edition was published in 2006 by Viking Penguin. It was 1085 pages long, and the retail price was $35.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First published in 2006 by Viking Penguin," is stated on the copyright page, 17 lines above full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are beige with light blue cloth spine. Back of dust jacket is blank except for bar codes on the bottom right. Click here for more photos...

January 29, 2008

Waiting to Exhale was written by Terry McMillan. The first edition was published in 1992 by Viking Penguin. It was 409 pages long, and the retail price was $22.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: "First published in 1992 by Viking Penguin," is stated on the copyright page above full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are gray with black cloth spine. Photo of author and Spike Lee blurb on the back of dust jacket. Blurb by Charles Johnson is on the dust jacket front flap below the price. Click here for more photos...

January 28, 2008

Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller. The first edition was published in 1949 by Viking. It was 139 pages long, and the retail price was $2.50. Death of a Salesman won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Here are the first edition criteria: Copyright page states "PUBLISHED BY THE VIKING PRESS, INC. IN MARCH 1949" on the top, and "PRINTED IN U.S.A. BY AMERICAN BOOK-STRATFORD PRESS, INC., NEW YORK" on the bottom. The copyright date of 1949 is printed on the title page. Bound in orange cloth with an image of a house stamped in black on the front, with pictorial endpapers, and with blue or green topstain. The first issue dust jacket has the author's picture on the back flap, and the "S" in "SALESMAN" touches the arm of the salesman illustrated on the front.

Note: Book club editions have a dot on the lower right of the back boards (near the spine). Click here for more photos...

January 27, 2008

Carpenter's Gothic was written by William Gaddis. The first edition was published in 1985 by Viking Penguin. It was 262 pages long, and the retail price was $16.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: "First published in 1985 by Viking Penguin Inc." is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings. Boards are brick-red with cream cloth spine. Back of dust jacket has only an author bio on the top and the ISBN on the bottom right. Click here for more photos...

January 26, 2008

Paradise was written by Toni Morrison. The first edition was published in 1998 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 318 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00. Paradise is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First Edition" is stated on the copyright page. Binding is black cloth. Back of dust jacket has photo of the author with no reviews. Click here for more photos...

January 24, 2008

Close Range Wyoming Stories was written by Annie Proulx. The first edition was published in 1999 by Scribner. It was 283 pages long, and the retail price was $25.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: There was a numbered first edition, limited to 150 copies, and signed by the author and the illustrator, William Mathews. Mathews painted seven watercolors included in the both the limited and first trade editions. The signatures and number are on a special attached bookplate. The book was issued in a light oatmeal cloth slipcase.

Close Range is a collection of eleven stories. The final (and most famous story) in the collection is Brokeback Mountain, which was previously published in The New Yorker in 1997, and in book form by Fourth Estate, London in 1998. The identification photos on this page are of the first trade edition, which has a full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" on the copyright page." Click here for more photos...

January 23, 2008

The World is Flat was written by Thomas Friedman. The first edition was published in 2005 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It was 488 pages long, and the retail price was $27.50.

The first edition criteria are as follows: "First edition, 2005" is stated on the top of the copyright page with no mention of updated or expanded editions; and the full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" is on the bottom of the copyright page. First issue dust jacket features ships falling off the end of a flat world. The second printing has the same jacket. Click here for more photos...

January 22, 2008

The Blind Assassin was written by Margaret Atwood. The first edition was published in 2000 by McClelland & Stewart . It was 521 pages long, and the retail price was $37.99.

Here are the first edition criteria: Because the author is Canadian, the Canadian edition of this Booker Prize winner is generally considered the true first edition even though its copyright page explicitly states that it was published simultaneously in the United States (by Nan A. Talese), and in the United Kingdom (by Bloomsbury).

The Canadian first edition has a full number line "1 2 3 4 5 � 04 03 02 01 00" on the copyright page. The Canadian dust jacket has photo of the author on the back.

The first U.S. edition was published by Nan A. Talese. It has a full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" on the copyright page below the statement "First Edition in the United States of America". The U.S. book club edition can also have a full number line, but the boards are solid black while the true U.S. first edition has cream boards with a brown cloth spine. There is a photo of the author on the back flap of the U.S. dust jacket. Click here for more photos...

January 21, 2008

A Farewell to Arms was written by Ernest Hemingway. The first edition was published in 1929 by Charles Scribner's Sons. It was 355 pages long, and the retail price was $2.50.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The first edition was limited to 510 signed copies issued in a slipcase. The first trade edition states 1929 on the bottom of the title page. The copyright page has a matching copyright date of 1929 and the Scribner's seal on the bottom. There is a first issue of the first trade edition that lacks a legal disclaimer found on later printings on page x. In later printings, the disclaimer says "None of the characters in this book is a living person, nor are the units or military organizations mentioned actual units or organizations. -E. H." The first issue dust jacket front flap has a price of $2.50 and a misspelling - "Katherine Barclay" instead of "Catherine Barkley". Click here for more photos...

January 20, 2008

The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini. The first edition was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books. It was 324 pages long, and the retail price was $24.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: Copyright page has number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are green with black cloth spine. The back of the dust jacket has a letter from the publisher and no other reviews.

There is some question as to whether the U.S. or UK edition is the true first. We believe that the U.S. edition is the true first for the following reasons: The publisher of the UK edition was Bloomsbury, and their website says that the Kite Runner was first published in the UK in September 2003. As for the U.S. edition; there is a code on the dust jacket flap that says "0306", which means it was printed in June 2003. This suggests that the American edition precedes the UK version by three months. Also, in the book�s Acknowledgements, Hosseini writes the following: "I would like to thank Susan Petersen Kennedy [President of Penguin Group (USA) and Publisher of Riverhead Books] for taking a chance on this book and the hardworking staff at Riverhead for laboring over it." Click here for more photos...

January 19, 2008

Underworld was written by Don DeLillo. The first edition was published in 1997 by Scribners. It was 827 pages long, and the retail price was $27.50.

The first edition criteria are as follows: There was a special signed "not for sale" hardcover copy that was signed by DeLillo on a tipped-in page. It stated that it was not for sale on the dust jacket back, and had no price on the flap.

The photos are of the first trade edition. It has a $27.50 price on the dust jacket, and the full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" on the copyright page. Boards are jade-green with black cloth spine. Front of dust jacket says "a novel by the author of LIBRA and WHITE NOISE". On the cover of the Advance Reader's Copy, the order is reversed to say "by the author of WHITE NOISE and LIBRA". Click here for more photos...

January 18, 2008

The Boys from Brazil was written by Ira Levin. The first edition was published in 1976 by Random House. It was 312 pages long, and the retail price was $8.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated below Random House number line "2 4 6 8 7 5 3". Gray boards with embossed design on front and black cloth spine. Click here for more photos...

January 17, 2008

The New Centurions was written by Joseph Wambaugh. The first edition was published in 1970 by Little, Brown and Company. It was 376 pages long, and the retail price was $6.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The first edition points are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. The dust jacket lacks any mention of Book of the Month Selection. Author bio on the back of the dust jacket contains the description "half-Mexican". This was removed in later printings.

Note: The book club edition is nearly identical to the true first edition. Like the true first, the book club edition has the same $6.95 price on the dust jacket and may state FIRST EDITION on the copyright page. But the book club dust jacket has a "Book of the Month Selection" statement to the left of the $6.95 price, while the true first dust jacket lacks any book club statement altogether. The book club edition also has a small square or round blindstamp on the lower right corner of the rear boards (near the spine). The Little Brown publisher�s blindstamp found on the lower left side of rear boards on true first editions (and some book club editions) should not be confused with the book club blindstamp. The Little Brown stamp is much larger and in no way indicates that a book is a book club edition. Click here for more photos...

January 16, 2008

The Client was written by John Grisham. The first edition was published in 1993 by Doubleday. It was 422 pages long, and the retail price was $23.50.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First Edition" is stated on copyright page above "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" number line, and below "March 1993". Boards are grey with black spine. Click here for more photos...

January 15, 2008

Old School was written by Tobias Wolff. The first edition was published in 2003 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 195 pages long, and the retail price was $22.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition is stated on the copyright page. Back of dust jacket has two reviews - San Francisco Chronicle and Boston Globe. The front and back dust jacket flaps lack any reviews. Click here for more photos...

January 14, 2008

Airways of America was written by A.K. Lobeck. The first edition was published in 1933 by GeographicalPress. It was 207 pages long, and the retail price was $2.50.

Here are the first edition criteria: Title page and copyright page both say 1933 with no mention of subsequent printints. Boards are brown faux leather. There is a large fold-out map in rear pocket of book. The $2.50 price is mentioned on the bottom of the back dust jacket flap. Armin Lobeck was a professor of geology at Columbia University and is attributed with the invention of the physiographic diagram. Click here for more photos...

January 13, 2008

The Sun Also Rises was written by Ernest Hemingway. The first edition was published in 1926 by Charles Scribner's Sons. It was 259 pages long, and the retail price was $2.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: The title page matches the 1926 on the copyright page. Copyright pages has the Scribner's seal, and lacks any mention of subsequent printings. The word "stopped" is misspelled as "stoppped" on page 181, line 26. Book is bound in black cloth with gold paper labels. Dust jacket front says "IN OUR TIMES", which is corrected in later issues to "IN OUR TIME". Click here for more photos...

January 12, 2008

A Thousand Splendid Suns was written by Khaled Hosseini. The first edition was published in 2007 by Riverhead Books. It was 372 pages long, and the retail price was $25.95 .

First edition criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Green paper boards with a gilt circular design on the front and black cloth spine with gilt lettering. Back of dust jacket has five blurbs - The New York Times Book Review, The Denver Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Book World, and Isabel Allende. The first issue dust jackets we have seen have the ISBN inside the bar code field blacked-out because it was incorrectly printed as "978-1-59448-950-5". The publisher then printed the correct number (978-1-59448-950-1) to the right of the bar code field. It is unclear whether any uncorrected copies were distributed. Click here for more photos...

January 11, 2008

Black Sunday was written by Thomas Harris. The first edition was published in 1975 by Putnam. It was 318 pages long, and the retail price was $7.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: Copyright page has no reference to edition or printing. There is no printing on the gutter of the second-to-last page. The top of the dust jacket front flap has $7.95 price and "SBN: 399-11443-2". The bottom of the front flap has the number "7501". Click here for more photos...

January 10, 2008

Raise High the Roof Beam was written by J.D. Salinger. The first edition was published in 1963 by Little, Brown and Company. It was 248 pages long, and the retail price was $4.00.

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. The book was published in 1963, but the copyright says 1955 and 1959. There are apparently three states of the first edition. The story behind this is that a production error caused the book the entire first printing to be produced without the dedication page. To correct it, the publisher tipped-in the dedication page in two separate positions. The consequence is that there are three states of the first edition. The first state has no dedication page, the second state has the dedication page tipped-in before the half-title, and the third state has the dedication page tipped-in after the copyright page. It was originally thought that there were very few first states, but there seems to be plenty in the market. A possible explaination could be that some people have found a way to remove the dedication page. The second state seems to be rare, while the third state is common. Note: Some book sellers will mistakenly refer to the third state as the second state. Click here for more photos...

January 09, 2008

Franny and Zooey was written by J.D. Salinger. The first edition was published in 1961 by Little, Brown and Company. It was 201 pages long, and the retail price was $4.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. Boards are Dark Gray cloth. Dust jacket has no reviews. Back of the dust jacket is the same as the front. Click here for more photos...

January 08, 2008

Terms of Endearment was written by Larry McMurtry. The first edition was published in 1975 by Simon and Schuster . It was 410 pages long, and the retail price was $9.95.

First edition criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10". tan paper boards with brown cloth spine. Back of dust jacket has eight blurbs. Price is on the bottom of the front flap. 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.