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.

February 29, 2008

The Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger. The first edition was published in 1951 by Little, Brown and Company. It was 277 pages long, and the retail price was $3.00 .

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. Black cloth decoratively stamped and lettered in gilt on spine. First issue jacket has Salinger's black-and-white photograph portrait credited to Lotte Jacobi on rear panel (very small, just above author's name.) Dust Jacket lacks Book-of-the-Month Club statement on front flap.

Dan Gregory from Between the Covers Rare Books discovered that the price on the first printing jacket is slightly thicker than the reprints, and the price has been repositioned on reprint jackets. In typographic terms, on first printing jackets the dollar sign is above the shoulder of the letter "R" but on reprint jackets the dollars sign is above the tail of the letter "R" (please see photo). He also notes that the first printing dust jacket is 3 mm shorter than the reprint jackets. Click here for more photos...

February 27, 2008

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (U.S.) was written by J.K. Rowling. The first edition was published in 1998 by Scholastic Press. It was 309 pages long, and the retail price was $16.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The copyright page has the full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02". Below the number line is "Printed in the U.S.A. 23", and below that is "First American edition, October 1998." Boards are purple with an embossed diamond pattern, and a red cloth spine. The dust jacket has a $16.95 price on the upper corner of the front flap. The dust jacket back has a cream/light yellow bar code field with two bar codes in it, and the smaller bar code says "51695". The dust jacket back also has a single quote from the Guardian saying "Harry Potter could assume the near-legendary status of Ronald Dahl's Charlie, of chocolate factory fame." Later issue dust jackets have a substitute quote from Publishers Weekly. The top spine of both the book and the dust jacket lists "J.K. ROWLING" and lacks the "YEAR 1" badge, and the gold lettering is raised on the spine of the dust jacket.

Note: There are book club editions that have the same full number line as the true first U.S. edition. But they lack the embossed diamond pattern on the book boards. A book club edition is far less valuable than the true first U.S. edition. Click here for more photos...

February 26, 2008

The View from the Fortieth Floor was written by Theodore White. The first edition was published in 1960 by William Sloane Associates. It was 468 pages long, and the retail price was $4.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The 1960 date matches on both the copyright page and the title page. There is no statement of subsequent printings on the copyright page. Some first editions are signed and numbered on the front free endpaper as part of a "special authographed edition". Click here for more photos...

February 25, 2008

Them was written by Joyce Carol Oates. The first edition was published in 1969 by Vanguard Press. It was 508 pages long, and the retail price was $6.95. Them won the National Book Award.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition or First Printing is NOT stated on the copyright page, but there are also no statements of additional printings. Boards are gray cloth with yellow topstain. Dust jacket is gray. Photo of author on the back of dust jacket is taken indoors, and author is looking to her left (toward spine of book). The photo credit lacks "Black Star". The top of the front dust jacket flap has reviews by Publishers' Weekly and The Kirkus Reviews. The bottom of the front dust jacket flap has a $6.95 price. Click here for more photos...

February 24, 2008

Libra was written by Don DeLillo. The first edition was published in 1988 by Viking Penguin. It was 456 pages long, and the retail price was $19.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First published in 1985 by Viking Penguin Inc." is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings and no mention of the BOMC on the bottom. Boards are cream with black cloth spine. Front dust jacket flap has U.S. price on top, and the U.K. price on the bottom. Dust jacket back has five reviews for White Noise.

Note: The book club edition has a small gold maple leaf on the back right bottom of the binding (near the spine). The book club edition also has three lines on the bottom of the copyright page that provides BOMC address information. Click here for more photos...

February 23, 2008

Silent Spring was written by Rachel Carson. The first edition was published in 1962 by Houghton Mifflin Company. It was 368 pages long, and the retail price was $5.00 .

Here are the first edition criteria: FIRST PRINTING is stated on the copyright page. Dust jacket carries a price of $5.00 on the upper corner of the front flap. Click here for more photos...

February 22, 2008

Child of God was written by Cormac McCarthy. The first edition was published in 1973 by Random House. It was 197 pages long, and the retail price was $5.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: First Edition is stated on the copyright page. Boards are red with blue cloth spine. Photo of the author on the back of dust jacket with no reviews. The bottom of the back flap has "1/74". The dust jacket spine is prone to fading. Photos courtesy of Dan Baranow. Click here for more photos...

February 21, 2008

Mao II was written by Don DeLillo. The first edition was published in 1991 by Viking Penguin. It was 241 pages long, and the retail price was $19.95 .

First edition criteria: "First published in 1991 by Viking Penguin Inc." is stated on the copyright page with number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Boards are black with black cloth spine and white letters. Dust jacket back has a single review by Thomas Pynchon. Click here for more photos...

February 20, 2008

Outer Dark was written by Cormac McCarthy. The first edition was published in 1968 by Random House. It was 242 pages long, and the retail price was $4.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: FIRST PRINTING is stated on the copyright page. Boards are blue-gray with light blue cloth spine and blue-green top stain. Back dust jacket flap has a photo of the author. Photos courtesy of Dan Baranow. Click here for more photos...

February 19, 2008

Steps was written by Jerzy Kosinski. The first edition was published in 1968 by Random House. It was 148 pages long, and the retail price was $4.95. Steps won the National Book Award.

The first edition criteria are as follows: FIRST PRINTING is stated on the copyright page. Boards are beige with maroon cloth spine and orange top stain. Back of dust jacket has photo of the author and six reviews for The Painted Bird beginning with a blurb from Arthur Miller. Click here for more photos...

February 18, 2008

The Clan of the Cave Bear was written by Jean Auel. The first edition was published in 1980 by Crown. It was 468 pages long, and the retail price was $12.95 .

Here are the first edition criteria: First Edition is stated under 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 number line on copyright page. Green boards with yellow spine. Click here for more photos...

February 16, 2008

The Natural was written by Bernard Malamud. The first edition was published in 1952 by Harcourt, Brace and Company. It was 237 pages long, and the retail price was $3.00 .

The first edition criteria are as follows: first edition is stated on the copyright page. Issued with red, blue, and gray boards (none has been prioritized as first issue.) Click here for more photos...

February 15, 2008

Lolita was written by Vladimir Nabokov. The first edition was published in 1955 by Olympia Press. It was 188,223 pages long, and the retail price was 900 Francs.

First edition criteria: The true first edition was published as a two book soft cover set by the Olympia Press, Paris, in 1955. Price on rear wrappers says Francs: 900.

The first American edition was Published by Putnam. It has red topstain on the book, and no statement of later printings on the copyright page. First issue dust jacket carries a price of $5.00 on the upper front flap with no later printing references. The dust jacket front lacks statements such as "Complete Unexpurgated Edition" or "Complete and unabridged" that is printed on later issue dust jackets. Click here for more photos...

February 14, 2008

Where the Heart is was written by Billie Letts. The first edition was published in 1995 by Warner Books. It was 358 pages long, and the retail price was $17.95. Where the Heart is is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

The first edition criteria are as follows: "First Printing: July 1995" is stated on the copyright page above full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1". Click here for more photos...

February 13, 2008

Nightwing was written by Martin Cruz Smith. The first edition was published in 1977 by Norton & Company. It was 256 pages long, and the retail price was $8.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: "First Edition" is stated on the copyright page with full number line "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0" and no book club blindstamp. Boards are brown ribbed paper with a blindstamped mesa design and brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. Note: the book club edition is identical to the true first edition and can also state "First Edition" with a full number line. But the book club edition has a small square or circle blindstamp on the bottom right corner of the back board near the spine. Also, the book club dust jacket is identical to the first edition jacket - including the $8.95 price. Photos courtesy of Dan Baranow. Click here for more photos...

February 12, 2008

The Bonfire of the Vanities was written by Tom Wolfe. The first edition was published in 1987 by Franklin Library. It was 659 pages long.

First edition criteria: The true first edition was a limited edition published by the Franklin Library under a special arangement with Farrar Straus Giroux, the publisher of the first trade edition.

The first trade edition says "First printing, 1987" on the copyright page, and no references to subsequent printings (other than the Franklin signed first edition.) Click here for more photos...

February 11, 2008

Lancelot was written by Walker Percy. The first edition was published in 1977 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It was 257 pages long, and the retail price was $8.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First printing, 1977" is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings. Boards are orange cloth with red top stain. Dust jacket has no reviews. Back of dust jacket has photo of the author and his grandson. Click here for more photos...

February 10, 2008

A Brief History of Time was written by Stephen Hawking. The first edition was published in 1988 by Bantam. It was 198 pages long, and the retail price was £14.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: The true first edition is the UK issue. The copyright page says Published 1988 by Bantam Press, and has no statement of reprints. The ISBN is 0-593-01518-5. The dust jacket is silver and has a price of £14.95 on the bottom of the front flap.

The U.S. first edition was quickly recalled and scrapped because, in the author's words, it was "full of errors, with misplaced and erroneously labeled photographs and diagrams." Some scrapped copies escaped, and can be identified primarily by a silver dust jacket similar to the color of the UK dust jacket. This first state entirely lacks the table of contents and dedication statement. It has a full number line (0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) on the copyright page. But its ISBN (0-553-05243-8) is different than the ISBN on the second state replacement.

The second state of the U.S. first edition also has a full number line (0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) on the copyright page. But it has a dedication on the copyright page, and it has a table of contents. The second state ISBN is 0-553-05340-X. It has a dark blue dust jacket and a price of $18.95 on the top of the front flap. The second state is much more common than either the first state U.S. edition or the UK first edition.

To make matters more complicated, we have discovered what appears to be a book club edition of the U.S. first state. It has the exact same silver dust jacket, but it lacks the price on the front flap, and it lacks the barcode on the back panel (see the photos below). Unfortunately, the book itself looks identical to the true first state. There is no book club emboss nor any gutter markings.

The first state of the U.S. edition also has an extra passage on page 34 comprising two paragraphs. This passage was removed on the second issue, and on all subsequent printings; and it is also not found on the UK first edition. The passage discusses a scenario with two freely moving observers, and ends with this conclusion:

Thus, in relativity, neither the position in space nor the time of an event is absolute. They both depend on the motion of the observer. Click here for more photos...

February 09, 2008

Seabiscuit was written by Laura Hillenbrand. The first edition was published in 2001 by Random House. It was 399 pages long, and the retail price was $24.95 .

Here are the first edition criteria: First Edition is stated below 24689753 number line on the copyright page. Boards are black with black cloth spine and gold lettering. Dust jacket has original price of $24.95 on the front flap, and no reference to audio book on the back flap. Flatsigned versions are rare because the author seldoms signs directly on the book. Signed versions typically have signed book plates. Click here for more photos...

February 08, 2008

Burr was written by Gore Vidal. The first edition was published in 1973 by Random House. It was 430 pages long, and the retail price was $8.95.

First edition criteria: First Edition is stated on the copyright page below Random House number line "24689753". Boards are maroon cloth. Back of dust jacket has photo of the author with ISBN on the bottom right corner, photo credit on the bottom left corner, and no reviews. The rear dust jacket flap has a date correction where "1/74" is blacked-out and "11/73" is printed next to it, which suggests that the original planned publication date was moved up. Click here for more photos...

February 07, 2008

White Noise was written by Don DeLillo. The first edition was published in 1985 by Viking Penguin. It was 326 pages long, and the retail price was $16.95. White Noise won the National Book Award.

Here are the first edition criteria: "First published in 1985 by Viking Penguin Inc." is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings. Boards are gray with white cloth spine. Back of dust jacket has photo and bio of the author with ISBN on the bottom right corner. Click here for more photos...

February 06, 2008

The Deep End of the Ocean was written by Jacquelyn Mitchard. The first edition was published in 1996 by Viking. It was 434 pages long, and the retail price was $23.95. The Deep End of the Ocean is an Oprah's Book Club selection.

First edition criteria: "First published in 1996 by Viking Penguin," is stated on the copyright page above number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Dust Jacket is translucent glassine that is not shiny on the back. It has a price of $23.95 on the top front flap, and "0696" on the bottom front flap.

The book was changed at some point after the fifth printing from ocean-pattern blue boards to a quarter-bound board with green cloth spine.

There were three issues of the dust jacket. The first issue jacket is translucent glassine with a non-glossy back. It was designed to allow the board pattern to show through, and can be found as late as the fourth printing. The second issue jacket is also translucent glassine, but the back is glossy, and was found as early as the fifth printing. The third issue is traditional paper jacket and simply covers the later issue boards. It was issued at some point after the fifth printing. Click here for more photos...

February 05, 2008

Dune was written by Frank Herbert. The first edition was published in 1965 by Chilton Books. It was 412 pages long, and the retail price was $5.95.

The first edition criteria are as follows: First Edition is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings and no ISBN. First issue boards are blue with white lettering on the spine, and gray end papers. Back dust jacket flap has four lines of publisher identification on the bottom beginning with "CHILTON BOOKS". Click here for more photos...

February 04, 2008

Christ in Concrete was written by Pietro Di Donato. The first edition was published in 1937 by Esquire Inc.. It was 41 pages long.

Here are the first edition criteria: The true first edition was printed in book form in 1937 by Esquire Inc. after it appeared in the March 1937 issue of Esquire Magazine. FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page. The book has pictorial boards and a glassine wrapper with a web design. The book originally sold for 25 cents.

Di Donato expanded the novel, and the original Esquire first edition story became his first chapter. The resulting 311 page novel, was also titled Christ in Concrete. It was published by Bobbs-Merrill in 1939, and "First Edition" is stated on the copyright page. Click here for more photos...

February 03, 2008

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman was written by Ernest J. Gaines. The first edition was published in 1971 by Dial Press. It was 245 pages long, and the retail price was $6.95.

Here are the first edition criteria: FIRST PRINTING is stated on the bottom of the copyright page. Boards are faux leather. Back of dust jacket has photo of the author and reviews by Max Steele, Alice Walker, and James Alan McPherson. Click here for more photos...

February 02, 2008

The Centaur was written by John Updike. The first edition was published in 1963 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was 303 pages long, and the retail price was $4.00. The Centaur won the National Book Award.

First edition criteria: FIRST EDITION is stated on the copyright page with no mention of subsequent printings. 1963 is stated on the bottom of the title page. Boards are cream color with black cloth spine and red topstain. Dust jacket back has reviews for The Poorhouse Fair; The Same Door; Rabbit, Run; and Pigeon Features. Dust jacket back flap has picture of the author. Click here for more photos...

February 01, 2008

That Old Ace in the Hole was written by Annie Proulx. The first edition was published in 2002 by Scribner. It was 361 pages long, and the retail price was $26.00.

Here are the first edition criteria: Copyright page has full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2". Light blue boards with brown cloth spine with gilt lettering. Back of dust jacket has two blurbs - The Boston Sunday Globe and The Wall Street Journal. 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.