The Peter Principle

There are no dots underneath the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number on the copyright page, and no references to subsequent printings. Boards are red with gold lettering on a black cloth spine, with red top stain and yellow endpapers. Dust jacket contains no reviews, and the jacket design credit by S. A. Summit is found on the bottom of the front flap.

Later printings lack the red top stain, and are noted by dots under the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number on the copyright page. Later issue dust jackets have reviews by Richard Armour and Charles Schulz on the front flap, and R. Buckminster Fuller on the back flap. Later issue dust jackets also have the jacket design credit on the back flap.

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 criteria.

Picture of the 1969 first edition dust jacket for The Peter Principle.

Picture of the first edition copyright page for The Peter Principle.

Picture of dust jacket where original $4.95 price is found for The Peter Principle.

Picture of the back dust jacket for the first edition of The Peter Principle.

Picture of the first edition William Morrow and Company boards for The Peter Principle.

Picture of the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of The Peter Principle.

Picture of the first edition title page for The Peter Principle.

The true first edition of The Peter Principle has red top stain.

The copyright page on the left is from a fourth or (or possible a fifth) printing. Note the dots under the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number. The copyright page on the right is from a true first printing. It lacks any dots under the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number.

The front dust jacket flap on the left is from a later issue dust jacket. The front dust jacket flap on the right is from the true first edition. Note that the first issue flap contains the jacket credit by S. A. Summitt, and lacks the quotes by Richard Armour and Charles Shultz.

The back dust jacket flap on the left is from a later issue dust jacket. The back dust jacket flap on the right is from the true first edition. Note that the first issue flap lacks the quote by R. Buckminster Fuller and also lacks the jacket credit by S. A. Summitt, which is found on the front flap.

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 identication criteria and 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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