First Edition Points and Criteria for Mother of Pearl

Year Published: 1999
Author Last Name: Haynes
Author First Name: Melinda
Publisher: Hyperion
Original Price: $23.95
Pages: 448

Copyright page states First Edition with full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the bottom, and ISBN 0-7868-6485-0 in the center. 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 such as this one 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 on the front, and has the original ISBN on the bar code (ISBN 0-7868-6485-0) on the back. 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.

We have so far noticed that only first printings have the original ISBN on the copyright page, while subsequent printings have the updated ISBN. these subsequent printings with the ISBN change and second state dust jackets are considered to be Oprah editions.

Note: Unlike traditional book club editions, the Oprah dust jackets carry the same printed price as the true first edition. Also, we have seen first state dust jackets (the ones with the original 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 printings 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 traditional (non-Oprah) book of the month club edition.

Mother of Pearl is an Oprah's Book Club selection.


Picture of the 1999 first edition dust jacket for Mother of Pearl.


Picture of the first edition copyright page for Mother of Pearl.


Picture of dust jacket where original $23.95 price is found for Mother of Pearl.


Picture of the back dust jacket for the first edition of Mother of Pearl.


Picture of the first edition Hyperion boards for Mother of Pearl.


Picture of the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of Mother of Pearl.


Picture of the first edition title page for Mother of Pearl.


The book on the left has the second state Oprah dust jacket. The book on the right has the first state dust jacket.


The copyright page on the bottom is a true first edition, and has the original ISBN 0-7868-6485-0. The copyright page on the top has the updated "Oprah" ISBN 0-7868-6627-6.


The first state dust jacket (top) has the original ISBN 0-7868-6485-0 on the bar code. The second state "Oprah" dust jacket (bottom) has the the updated ISBN 0-7868-6627-6 on the bar code.


The first edition has terra cotta boards with a black cloth spine. Later Oprah printings have a solid black cloth binding.