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How can you be sure a book is a first edition? The answer will take a little detective work and some perseverance but you will be able to put your uncertainties to rest – here’s how.
You have probably been to yard sales or book sales, seen hundreds of used books, and wondered how you would be able to identify a first edition. To the trained eye – which I will help you acquire, you will be able to spot the signs which will let you know, “This is NOT a First Edition!” probably with just a glance. These signs will include...
1. The publisher, In the UK, BCA, PG, and RS are all re-printers, if you see this on the spine, put the book down and move on to the next.
2. The condition of the book is important. (check “book conditions” on this site) A poor condition copy of an average title doesn’t deserve a second glance.
3. General appearance is important too. A trained dealer knows what color the boards should be, or what the original dust jacket should look like, and most importantly, who the original publisher and printer were.
4. The size of a book tells a lot too. More modern first editions are normally released in a larger format than the reissues; so the small ones can be passed over.
So in a two minute scan of 200 books a dealer can reject the majority and then concern himself with the books that appear to be of interest. With a little luck he will be able to get what he needs from the copyright page.
That's because in modern times all the information you need is there, go back in time and the printing history pages give less and less information. Get back to the early 20th century and there could be some printing history to the back page, or there may be no information page at all.
This is where your detective work comes in. Show a dealer an Angela Brazil book and he may be keenly interested in the ads at the back. Show "A Boy's Will" to the right people and they will be turning to page 14 and looking for a printing error.
You can't just know about the nuances of these older first editions, you have to be informed. That means reference books, picking the brains of others, or scanning the internet. So an out of date price guide may not be as useless as you first thought if it can tell you what signs to look for.
There is no substitution for experience, once a book has passed through your hands and you have had to learn the particular quirks of the true first, it usually doesn’t leave your memory. However, even the smartest book dealer had to learn the first time, and the answer is twofold:
1. The Copyright Page
2. The Reference Material
A good copyright/printing history page is self explanatory, but can be misleading sometimes. For example, a later printing of a book may be described as the first printing by the new publisher. It is best to know what you are looking for and then see if the page confirms it. To make things a little easier for you; if it says it is the FIRST EDITION then it probably is. If it has the number line and that line includes the number 1 then it probably is. If it has the words 'this edition' then it probably is not a first.
Overall, the older a book is, the harder it is to determine whether it is a first edition from the copyright page. The older books may not have a copyright page, or printing history. There will however, normally be something or better still, some things that are unique to the first edition. These will help to identify it as such. Now we move on to the references.
You can never assume a book is a first if the only thing you have to go on is the fact it doesn't say its not. That’s where reference books come in. They will explain the things to look for.
There are websites and magazines which you can use for reference and there are online forums where people are happy to share their knowledge (such as me). Lastly, you can compare your copy with the descriptions of the true firsts by the experts in a “Rare Book Search Directory”.
Not only can “First Editions” be considered “collectible”. Later editions with very rare titles or with artwork by famous illustrators, special editions and more can be collectable in their own rights. So continue the Treasure Hunt, have lots of fun and don’t let a priceless gem pass you by!
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