I can tell you book is first edition

A number 3 would indicate this first edition 3 4 5 6 7 8. For example, if you have a copy of the bobbsey twins at school, and it lists to a book that was printed in 1927, you cannot have a 1st edition, because the 1st edition was printed in 19. Down our ebook how to make a serious second income buying and selling collectables and find o. The first edition continues until the book is changed. You can have a look at the librarian manual id the first edition. You can use the catalogs on the inverse of dust jackets and at the books front early boniliveright titles or back later titles through 1963 or so to tell the date a piece was printed. How to easily identify a modern first edition book youtube. Identifying, and valuing first edition dr seuss books. 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. 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. For the second printing, the 1 is removed, so the 2 is the lowest number present.

Occasionally a number line will be accompanied by a date line. Remember that different publishers have their own criteria. How can you tell if a book is a first edition if it isnt specified as such on the page. May have occasionally stated first edition, but in general, the absence of a later printing statement indicates a first edition. You can now probably understand why there is so much debate about first editions. We frequently get emails from people asking about first printings and first editions of books, and sometimes there seems to be some confusion about whether or. Books can be printed in another country first and then in the united states, or vice versa. Firstly its important to establish what actually constitutes a harry potter first edition. How to tell when you have a modern first edition worthpoint. How can you tell if a book is a first edition answers. Collecting, identifying, and valuing first edition dr. The one that came first would be considered the true first edition.

You can have a large print run or a small print runits completely up to the publisher, and generally speaking the size of a. Seuss books presented, the first edition book can be identified without the dust jackets. 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. A general rule is that if the number 1 is listed, the book is a first edition. This image from mywingsbooks guide to bce demonstrates the subtle differences in the smaller size of hardcover bce books. A first edition is a book that has been printed and distributed for the first time. You typically dont want to buy a book club first edition because they are produced in huge quantities and they will continue publishing the book forever. How you can tell the difference between a first edition, first printing, and a book club edition of a collectible book and why it matters. Well, glenn larsens guide to first editions was one of the first internet documents i ran across about first editions and book club editions and reprint publishers and other items in the. The publisher may actually state the words first edition or first printing on the page. The reason you have to look at all the book lists is because you may have different dates for different series.

Its way beyond my expertise to go into all of the variations and possibilities, but here are some pointers. Trim size is given because book club editions are often smaller than trade editions. The first harry potter book to be published was harry potter and the philosophers sorcerers stone. Can a first edition of a book be identified by its isbn number. How to tell if i have a first edition copy of a book. We try to answer some of these burning questions below. Pictures of the true first edition of harry potter and the sorcerers stone u. There are thousands of publishers and they use a large variety of methods, which are often changed, to define first editions. 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. Sometimes publishers include the words first edition next to the number line, even if the book was on its third printing, according abe books website.

So, you have just entered the world of book collecting, and have probably. Publishers often reprinted using the same plates as the first, sometimes for years afterwards. Except for a few exceptions, you can be fairly certain that if you have a book club edition it is not a first edition. Clearly any mention of these terms indicates a reprint. But then again, that may not be accurate because if you see, for example. How can i tell if a book is a first modern library edition. How can you tell if a book is a first edition if it isnt. Books have tales to tell, and if youve stumbled on an old volume, you likely want to learn its history. Could you become a successful antiques and collectables dealer. How to tell if you have a first edition copy of a book.

More often than not, conventions for distinguishing first editions vary from publishing house to publishing house. As bookbreak paid a visit to second hand bookshops this week, we are offering our pointers on how to spot a first edition book. Its the best first reads book ive ever come across. If you have a first edition signed by the author copy, the. While the privately printed editions, with their simple grey covers, are easy to spot, it can be more difficult to distinguish the first commercial edition of peter rabbit from later printings some important indicators are the content changes that occurred as potter refined the book during the first year it was commercially available. Harry potter first editions harry potter at catch the snitch. If the words first printing fp, first impression fi or first edition fe ar. For book collectors, first edition identification is a vital skill. In nearly all cases, the book is also the first editionfirst printing. Here is how you can tell if you have an original and what it may be worth.

You might be able to tell from that if there are more than one year listed. You first must determine what edition you have as most prices quoted are for first editions only. First editions of peter rabbit from the cataloguers desk. If the publisher sells out of the first run and goes back for another printing, that second printing is not considered a true first edition, even if the page says it is. Print runs are the set number of copies of the book printed at one time. Book club editions are smaller and lighter, and often use cheaper paper and bindings.

The beginners guide to identifying first editions book riot. Abebooks explains how to identify a first edition book. If others on your amazon account also get a first reads book, you can share through your family library and get access to multiple free books. As russ frith says, theres no single means of determining this. Lately, first edition has become widely accepted tto mean first edition, first printing when buying or selling books although, technically speaking, it shouldnt be. The first edition, first printing of a book is the very first time the book is printed, obviously.

Thats because the first printing only represents a portion of the total number of copies of a book that the publisher hopes to sell. How to identify first editions or a first printing of a book. If a book is extremely popular, it will have a lot of printings and you might have to look more closely to find the print run number. Bloomsbury publishing first printed the book in 1997. Its easy to use, and small and light enough to fit in your pocket. If you have kids, i very strongly recommend you get this months first reads childrens book, this book is gray. How to tell if a book is a first edition if it isnt. 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.

Whatever you do, do not, repeat, do not, list a first edition under any other edition. Any of the following is an indication that the book is not a first impression first print run of the first edition, which is the on. Let us take a moment here to tell you that any book that you purchase from raptis rare books will be a first printing unless we state otherwise. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable. This is very important, because you can be guaranteed that you are purchasing the book you want. How can you tell if my book is a book club edition. In tougher cases you can verify that the binding type of the book matches a date range. First edition harry potter books have become very valuable. Sometimes you have to do some sleuthing to find out if the book youre holding is indeed the very first global printing of that title, however.

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. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition. Includes identificaton criteria and points of issue to help collectors identify the original book. You will often see it as 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and its styled different from publishing house to publishing house. A new version of the book is then typeset, which becomes the second edition. Just 500 first editions of the first novel were published in 1997.

Also, book club edition dust jackets dj are occasionally found on first editions to replace lost or damaged jackets. Heres how to tell if what youre reading is a first edition or not. If there are no other editions listed, the book you have is the first edition. First edition copies state first edition on the page and the number sequence will be 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3.

New collectors and hobbyists are regularly asking themselves how do you tell a first edition book. For the most part, the first edition of a book is more meaningful to the world of book collectors than it was to the publisher who printed it. However, to most booksellers and collectors, a true first edition is both the first typeset version of the book and 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.

It is common to see booksellers describe these later first editions as a first edition thus. How to tell if you have a harry potter first edition set. Generally speaking, if the 1 is present, the book is a first edition first edition, first printing. Some publishing companies do not use any markings or identifiers at all. For example, a number line that reads 5 6 7 8 9 indicates a fifth printing. You must determine what condition the book is in as mint, fine, good, poor or junk. Different publishing companies use different methods to note the first edition status of a book. I cant tell whether these people are reading a first printing or a first edition from the state library of victoria.

However, if there are other editions listed, your book will be the most recent one. How to identify first editions and care for old books. This can be really easy sometimes or really complicated sometimes. If there are two or more books described as a first edition, then a collector will want to know which one is superior. In a couple of cases, the book is the first editionfirst or early printing. Can a first edition of a book be identified by its isbn. Youll likely recover the cost of this book very quickly, with your. A pocket guide to the identification of first editions details the methods over 4,600 different publishers use to identify their first editions.