Collector's Resources

Book Conditions and Terminology

Care, Handling and Storage of Books

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Edition?
An Edition represents all (i.e., a potential multitude of) printings of a book, typically with one typeset and with no significant alterations between Printings or bindings used.

What is a Printing?
A single batch Printing of an Edition, there are no alterations of text content or layout within one Printing. Minor alterations are possible between prints, e.g., errors might be corrected between a first and a second Printing. Depending on anticipated sales volumes, the sizes of print runs are managed to maintain sufficient but not excessive amounts of inventory.

What is a First Edition?
A First Edition is that (for sale) release of a book appearing first on the market (after potential book proofs / advance reading copies).

Can a Second Printing be a First Edition?
Yes, as indicated above, Editions, i.e., First Editions may consist of a number of Printings. While some collectors and sellers would like only First Printings to be First Editions, this is not consistent with traditional definitions of Edition and Printing. Accurate sellers and collectors specify both Edition and Printing.

Is a First Printing always a First Edition?
No, later/revised editions often start their Printing scheme again with Printing number 1.

What is the difference between a trade edition and a privately published edition?
Publishing and selling of books is not limited to the major publishing houses, 'everybody'can print, bind, and sell a book. The books from those 'private individuals' are called privately published. The trade editions are those books from the major publishing houses, e.g., Random House, Simon & Schuster, etc. In recent years (and that's where the differentiation between trade edition and private edition comes from) the trade editions typically carry an ISBN identification number whereas the Private Publishers typically don't do through the effort of applying for those. At the same time renowned private publishers such as Easton Press or former Franklin Library have grown to pretty sizeable companies themselves.

How do I identify a First Edition or a First Print?
The identification of a First Edition or First Print is tremendously difficult, going significantly beyond the purpose of this initial introduction and beyond easily available knowledge. While resources such as Zempel and Verkler's First Editions and many others are invaluable in determining if a certain copy might be a First Edition or a First Printing, today there is no single one publication available on the market to substitute the knowledge of an experienced book-seller or collector in their field. Example: Christopher Paolini's second book of his Inheritance Trilogy, Eldest (following Eragon). The anticipated editions of Eldest, i.e., the US edition of Alfred A. Knopf and the UK edition by Doubleday will both have the features of a First Edition and First Printing as reference books such as Zempel's call for (e.g., full print line from 10 to 1). Can they both be First Editions, i.e., when issued concurrently, the same day, hour, minute? In theory they could. In reality the U.S. edition will be on the market August 23, the U.K. edition will be released on August 25th. Welcome to the world of hunting and collecting the TRUE first. Please contact us for specific assistance with a book of your interest.

Which Edition/Print should I collect?
Almost all book collectors are only interested in a First Edition and First Printing of a title as it cannot be substituted and will automatically become scarcer over time. Exceptions include cases when the First Edition is a paperback or when later editions come with significant additional features, e.g., are signed, limited/numbered editions, come with luxurious bindings, etc.

What was the first book issued with a dust-jacket?
Charles Rosner, citing John Carter, claims Heath's Keepsake (1833) as earliest appearance of a dust-jacket. Other examples followed, e.g., Chapman and Hall's printing of Edwin Drood (1870), and Macmillan's printing of Christina Rossetti's Speaking Likeness (1874). Earliest decorative/decorated dust-jackets were seen on Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (1860), and later Kipling's Just So Stories (1902). References: J T Winterich in The Publisher's Weekly, 1937.); Thomas Tanselle's Book-jackets, Blurbs, and Bibliographers in The Library, June 1971, pgs 91-134.