Tuesday, October 24, 2006
What To Look For When Buying A First Edition Used Book
What is a First Edition book?
A First Edition book is a book that is the first printing of the first edition. That does not mean the first book to be printed but the first run of books that are printed of a newly published book. There can be hundreds or more in each printing. To find a true First Edition in a used paperback book or used hardcover book can be very frustrating, but it is worth the effort if you can find the book you want. As time passes most used paperback books are thrown away, so a First Edition in a used paperback book is rare. The same can be said for used hardcover books, they are generally discarded or they no longer have their dust jackets. The dust jackets are valuable when reselling/buying a used hardcover book. They have details on them that help determine the book's origin. Here at www.booksatfarwest.com we strive to state First Edition only when the book meets the following guidelines.
It is very hard to identify true First Editions most of the time. Below is a list of identifications that should appear on the copyright and/or title page.
1--WORDING--First Edition, First Printing, First Impression, First Published or Published any of these phrases should appear on copyright or title page. Note that some publishers will state "First Printing by (publisher). This is not a First Edition but a first printing by a different publisher than original publisher.
2--NUMBER LINE--it will look like this, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Usually the (1) should be on the number line. This indicates it is the 1 printing. If the 1 is missing that usually means that the book is a second printing. There are some publishers who remove the 1 when printing the First Edition, Random House is one. If the 1 is missing and you are not sure of the publisher's rules, then consult a bibliography or guide to First Editions.
3--DATE--the dates on the copyright page and title page should agree. Sometimes there will be a year between dates. This is not uncommon if the book was copyright late in one year and published early the next year. Occasionally there will be more dates with the copyright date. This will occur when part of the book had been published in a journal or antholgy. In this case the LAST date should agree with the title page date.
4--UNDATED BOOKS--Many of the older books will not have dates on them. This makes it even harder to determine a First Edtion. You will need to use a bibliography or library guide to tell for sure. Book Club Editions have no dates on them. A good book seller will state if the book is a Book Club Edition. General rule is if dates are missing check with sources before buying. We at www.booksatfarwest.com have listed vintage books that may have been First Editions, but we could not confirm it so they were sold as Vintage Books.
There are "sellers" selling Book Club books as First Editions. If you are interested in a certain book and want a First Edition, do your homework before buying. Check out the title, author,book size,dates (if available), publisher and the color of the book. All of these will help determine its status. Just because there is only one date on the book does not make it a First Edition.
We at www.booksatfarwest.com hope this information will be helpful for the new collector, when they go to buy a used paperback book or used hardcover book that says it is a First Edition. Remember when buying a used paperback book or hardcover book, to research or ask questions if you have doubts.
A First Edition book is a book that is the first printing of the first edition. That does not mean the first book to be printed but the first run of books that are printed of a newly published book. There can be hundreds or more in each printing. To find a true First Edition in a used paperback book or used hardcover book can be very frustrating, but it is worth the effort if you can find the book you want. As time passes most used paperback books are thrown away, so a First Edition in a used paperback book is rare. The same can be said for used hardcover books, they are generally discarded or they no longer have their dust jackets. The dust jackets are valuable when reselling/buying a used hardcover book. They have details on them that help determine the book's origin. Here at www.booksatfarwest.com we strive to state First Edition only when the book meets the following guidelines.
It is very hard to identify true First Editions most of the time. Below is a list of identifications that should appear on the copyright and/or title page.
1--WORDING--First Edition, First Printing, First Impression, First Published or Published any of these phrases should appear on copyright or title page. Note that some publishers will state "First Printing by (publisher). This is not a First Edition but a first printing by a different publisher than original publisher.
2--NUMBER LINE--it will look like this, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Usually the (1) should be on the number line. This indicates it is the 1 printing. If the 1 is missing that usually means that the book is a second printing. There are some publishers who remove the 1 when printing the First Edition, Random House is one. If the 1 is missing and you are not sure of the publisher's rules, then consult a bibliography or guide to First Editions.
3--DATE--the dates on the copyright page and title page should agree. Sometimes there will be a year between dates. This is not uncommon if the book was copyright late in one year and published early the next year. Occasionally there will be more dates with the copyright date. This will occur when part of the book had been published in a journal or antholgy. In this case the LAST date should agree with the title page date.
4--UNDATED BOOKS--Many of the older books will not have dates on them. This makes it even harder to determine a First Edtion. You will need to use a bibliography or library guide to tell for sure. Book Club Editions have no dates on them. A good book seller will state if the book is a Book Club Edition. General rule is if dates are missing check with sources before buying. We at www.booksatfarwest.com have listed vintage books that may have been First Editions, but we could not confirm it so they were sold as Vintage Books.
There are "sellers" selling Book Club books as First Editions. If you are interested in a certain book and want a First Edition, do your homework before buying. Check out the title, author,book size,dates (if available), publisher and the color of the book. All of these will help determine its status. Just because there is only one date on the book does not make it a First Edition.
We at www.booksatfarwest.com hope this information will be helpful for the new collector, when they go to buy a used paperback book or used hardcover book that says it is a First Edition. Remember when buying a used paperback book or hardcover book, to research or ask questions if you have doubts.
# posted by Far West @ 1:14 PM 
