There is a bit of confusion about whether the Limited Edition or the so called "First Trade Edition" is the true first. While the limited edition is certainly desireable because it is signed and there were only 600 copies produced, we believe that the first trade edition is the true first edition. We say this not because we believe that one was released before the other, but rather because we believe that the first trade edition was intended to be the true first. We base this conclusion on the fact that the first trade edition's copyright page specifically states "First Printing", while the copyright page on the limited edition has no indication of first printing or first edition. Furthermore, the signature page on the limited edition simply says "LIMITED EDITION" and not limited first edition. That said, we would imagine that a signed trade edition would be more valuable than a limited edition. However, unsigned trade editions will probably continue to be less valuable than the limited edition because the signature makes up for its less-than-first status.
Now to address the points of the first trade edition, which we will refer to as simply "the first edition". "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page. The boards are navy blue cloth with gold lettering and red top stain. The back of the first issue jacket has two reviews for Goodbye, Columbus (beginning with one from Saul Bellow), two reviews for Letting Go, and two reviews for When She Was Good.
Every first edition we have located has a clipped dust jacket, with a price still present at the edge of the clip. This suggests that there was an original price that was considered a mistake by the publisher. So they probably clipped the orginal price off and reprinted a correct price before releasing the book to the public. The corrected price is $6.95, and it is not clear what the original mistake price was. It would be great to hear from someone who has a first edition with an unclipped first issue jacket and a price other than $6.95.
Later printing dust jackets have the corrected $6.95 price in the normal position, and are of course unclipped. They are otherwise identical to first edition jackets.
Portnoy's Complaint is one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels. Other Time 100 Novels include Slaughterhouse-Five and Gravity's Rainbow
To find the market value for this book, click on the pre-filled eBay, AbeBooks, or Biblio links to the right and look for comparable listings that have all of these first edition points.
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 | Picture of the 1969 first edition dust jacket for Portnoy's Complaint. |  | Picture of the first edition copyright page for Portnoy's Complaint. |  | Picture of dust jacket where original $6.95 price is found for Portnoy's Complaint. |  | Picture of the back dust jacket for the first edition of Portnoy's Complaint. |  | Picture of the first edition Random House boards for Portnoy's Complaint. |  | Picture of the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of Portnoy's Complaint. |  | This is the dust jacket flap from the seventh printing. The $6.95 is in the correct position and is unclipped.
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Disclaimer: This website is intended to help guide you and give you insight into what to look for when identifying first editions. The information is compiled from the experience of reputable collectors and dealers in the industry. Gathering and updating information about these books is more an art than a science, and new points of issue are sometimes discovered that may contradict currently accepted identification points. This means that the information presented here may not always be 100% accurate. If you spot a mistake, drop us an e-mail and we will do our best to investigate and correct it.
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