The beginners guide to identifying first editions book riot. Jan 17, 2016 remember that different publishers have their own criteria. How do you know if you have a first edition of a marvel comic. If there are two or more books described as a first edition, then a collector will want to know which one is superior. The definition of a first edition depends on who you are talking to. Can a first edition of a book be identified by its isbn. How to identify first editions or a first printing of. Looking for a way to tell if a book is a first edition. How to identify first editions or a first printing of harry. Clearly any mention of these terms indicates a reprint.
Comic book talk how do you know if you have a first edition of a marvel comic book. If its from a small press, which often run one printing of their books, youre sometimes safe assuming what you have is a first edition unless otherwise noted. Sep 10, 2014 looking for a way to tell if a book is a first edition. Oct 03, 2018 how to tell if you have a harry potter first edition. Nov 08, 2012 so if a book has had more than one printing, how can you tell which one you have and therefore whether or not your edition is a true first. The following books will arm you with years of knowledge found nowhere else. There are thousands of publishers and they use a large variety of methods, which are often changed, to define first editions. Publishers often reprinted using the same plates as the first, sometimes for years afterwards.
A first edition of this book, printed a year after the first edition yet still appearing the same visually, can reach. Bloomsbury publishing first printed the book in 1997. Oct 30, 2019 if you find you have a first edition and are curious about the value, there are numerous places you can look. Here is how you can tell if you have an original and what it may be worth. Identifying first editions the new antiquarian the blog of the.
The best site on the net for info on rare stephen king books. Each book thats published, of course, has a first edition. The number line below is for the first celebratory edition. Generally speaking, if the 1 is present, the book is a first edition first edition, first printing. You can now probably understand why there is so much debate about. If the number line shows 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 then you have a first edition. If not, the fact that its a first edition doesnt matter. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable book riot. And sometimes signed early editions are pretty valuable, even if they arent first editions from the first printing. As weve mentioned elsewhere, first edition means the first printing of a book. Doubleday books all say first edition explicitly on the page cp.
If the words first printing fp, first impression fi or first edition fe ar. However things are often not so easy and a book can clearly state first edition or first printed without mention of another edition or date and still be a reprint. Collectors use the term first edition as a short form of first printing of the first edition and that is how we will be using this term. If you love to keep learning, this is a great genre for you because historical books are written about real things that happened to real people. If the page tells you that the book is a first edition from william morrow and company, but the spine of the book tells you that it was published by walter j. The child does not want to leave the prairie but finds that you will always remember because what you know first always stays with you. Firstly its important to establish what actually constitutes a harry potter first edition. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable. If its from a small press, which often run one printing of their books, you re sometimes safe assuming what you have is a first edition unless otherwise. Jul 28, 2009 also changes to things such as the dust jacket can bring another term called state into play, which is why you sometimes hear about a first state dust jacket or second state cover. For books that contain strings of numbers to denote the printing, the important consideration is the presence of. So if a book has had more than one printing, how can you tell which one you have and therefore whether or not your edition is a true first.
If the book is very, very popular, second editions or reprint editions may be desirable to collectors who dont have the cash to fork over for first editions but still want a piece of rare book history. Abebooks explains how to identify a first edition book youtube. If you dont know how to tell if a book is a first edition, we can help. A book club edition is far less valuable than the true first u.
How to identify first editions or a first printing of a book. Identifying and collecting first editions shop for books. Oct 10, 2019 culture books news how to tell if your old copy of harry potter is worth up to. Before anything else you should check to see if the book has first edition, first printing written inside the cover. Sometimes, the publisher will clearly write which edition of the book you have on the bottom of the page. The earliest form of the book is the authors original manuscript. You can now probably understand why there is so much debate about first editions. Publishers, bibliographers, researchers and librarians use the term first edition to mean a book reprinted without changes.
Books to identify first editions and help the book seller in the book collecting world, there are exceptions to the exceptions, and many publishers indicated first edition in their own unique way. But they lack the embossed diamond pattern on the book boards. If you buy, sell or collect books, these should be your first investment. There are book club editions that have the same full number line as the true first u. If you are 1,000% certain that what you have is indeed a first edition you state it in your content notes regardless if the item detail page gives an edition. First editions of wellloved books can become the most prized in literature. It is common to see booksellers describe these later first editions as a first edition thus. Books have tales to tell, and if you ve stumbled on an old volume, you likely want to learn its history.
Oct 17, 2011 identifying a first edition is no simple matter. In general, books before 1900 did not indicate first or subsequent printings. You can now probably understand why there is so much debate about first. This is a beautiful story about leaving the place you were born. Before the book was printed, bound and shipped out to the book stores in its final form, a book has gone through a number of prepublication versions. The beginners guide to identifying first editions amanda nelson. At first this can become somewhat confusing because when a book becomes very popular and is often reprinted many times over a number. The majority of booksellers and collectors want the true first edition the edition of the book that supersedes all other editions chronologically and sometimes detective work is required to identify the true first. And then, of course, theres the trusty old internet.
A pocket guide to the identification of first editions details the methods over 4,600 different publishers use to identify their first editions. The early doubleday books all say first edition explicitly on the page cp. Edition and printing can be used fairly interchangeably in talking about collectible books, especially in regard to modern fiction. What you know first trophy picture books paperback maclachlan, patricia, moser, barry on.
Keep in mind that just because you have a first edition copy of a certain title. Mar 31, 1995 this is a beautiful story about leaving the place you were born. Print runs are the set number of copies of the book printed at one time. Not only can you enjoy the wizard of oz books, but in addition to that, you can consider them an investment just like you can with other collectibles. Also changes to things such as the dust jacket can bring another term called state into play, which is why you sometimes hear about a first state dust jacket or second state cover. All volumes of this first edition, first printing are in very good condition with wearing and soiling to. If you choose to sell it, they may also be willing to either buy it from you or sell it on consignment. Typically, the reprint house would label the tail of the spine with their company name. Youll learn to see yourself as others see you, and how to tweak your style to create the impression that reflects the real you. Books have tales to tell, and if youve stumbled on an old volume, you likely want to learn its history. If its from a small press, which often run one printing of their books, youre sometimes safe assuming what you have is a first edition unless otherwise. For collectors of uk first editions this is less of a problem than it is for collectors of american editions.
The first harry potter book to be published was harry potter and the philosophers sorcerers stone. Most bookstores that deal in rare books, collectible books, and that sort of thing should be able to appraise the book for you. However, for a first edition to have value, there must be a demand for it. Adam blakeney, senior specialist in modern literature at peter harrington explains how to identify first editions. So if you ask the printer to print 10,000 copies of a book and then you sell them all and go back and ask for another 7,500 copies, the first 10,000 copies was the first printing. Print runs are a way for collectors to identify which first edition is truly the earliest version of the book to exist in the world. However, for a first edition to have value, there must be a. Remember that different publishers have their own criteria.
If there is only one date, you know you have a first edition. But a first edition, first state is more desired and valuable among collectors, as a first edition usually is closest to the most original source. Over the years there have been thousands of publishers, each using various methods for distinguishing a first edition. Heres how to tell if what youre reading is a first edition or not. This book video will show you how to know if you have a first edition book. To determine if you have a true first edition first printing first state copy of harry potter and the sorcerers stone, begin by looking at the book itself. There are other identifiers for these books as well. If it does match then it might be a first edition but bear in mind that successful books will have more than one print run a year. Recommended books for collectors of first editions. First edition harry potter books have become very valuable. As the book series grew in popularity the later books were printed by the millions even on the first print run, so for the final books in the series first editions are not remotely rare.
If the initial print run known as the first printing or first impression sells out and the publisher decides to produce a subsequent printing with the same typeset, books from that second print run can be described as a first edition, second printing. How to tell if a book is first edition know the printing. Abebooks explains how to identify a first edition book. Some books are published in such huge quantities that first editions are very common. Book collecting guide identifying and collecting first editions. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition set. When the first edition of a book has a few typos or other small errors called points of issue, a second state of a first edition may be printed to correct these. Try searching for your book online, possibly with the words first edition attached.
But a first edition will only have one date of printing, with no earlier date listed. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition. If you have one of these rare books sitting on a shelf somewhere, get ready to cash in. Harry potter first editions harry potter at catch the snitch. How do you know if you have a first edition of a marvel. The first edition is the first edition printing of the first edition, but sometimes books go through multiple editions. You can have a large print run or a small print runits completely up to the publisher, and generally speaking the size of a. People will pay crazy money just because it says joanne rowling instead of j. Youll likely recover the cost of this book very quickly, with your new ability to figure out whats a first edition and whats not. People will pay crazy money just because it says joanne rowling instead of.
Uk book clubs are usually clearly stated as such, there is an absence of original publisher logos, unpriced jackets etc. Breaking down a successful first impression into its seven fundamentals, the authors show you how to master these principles so that you can make the best first impression. Books published prior to around 1900 are somewhat more easily identified, as publishers generally put the date on the title page of the first edition, although sometimes it can be found on the last page of the book. For the second printing, the 1 is removed, so the 2 is the lowest number present. Very often the books are much smaller in size or indeed a completely different format. Jun 12, 2006 when you look on the fly page the first page with all the information about the publisher, the printer, the dewey decimal numbers etc. After 7 days of it being on auction, and just before i went to work, someone emailed me and asked if they were first editions. Many people are only aware of the original wizard of oz story that written by l. The table below lists the first trade edition identification criteria for each of stephen kings books. Whatever you do, do not, repeat, do not, list a first edition under any other edition. When you look on the fly page the first page with all the information about the publisher, the printer, the dewey decimal numbers etc. To see the harry potter books we currently have for sale please click here. Here are some quick links to the most important topics. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition set and.
How to identify first editions book collecting guide. Or, contact a local auction house if you believe your books may be very valuable. In the world of book collecting, a first edition is generally considered to be the first appearance of a work, in its first printing. Rebecca romney is a rare book specialist with a lot of great info on her site. You can read as many ebooks that have the read in store option as you wish while in store on any given day. Nov 07, 2006 first edition is really short for first edition, first printing. Though both the paperback and hardback first editions of the. Learn the basics of first edition identification for book collectors. To determine if you have a true first editionfirst printing first state copy of harry potter and the sorcerers stone, begin by looking at the book itself. You can also find historical fiction, and this is when something real has been dramatized to be more exciting or effective. Just 500 first editions of the first novel were published in 1997. What you know first trophy picture books paperback. Since criteria for indicating a first edition varies from publisher to publisher, theres no easy answer.
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