If this has been asked and answered before, I apologize upfront.

Can someone tell me how I can tell if the book I have is a first edition?

I have a hard cover of "The Haunted Air," published by Forge, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, and on the copyright page it says at the bottom, "First Edition: October, 2002, printed in the United States of America, 0987654321," and there is another string of numbers as well.

OK, OK, I know I sound like the ultimate dummy because the book is labled "first edition." But there was a thread that went into many variations on the theme of first editions, and I don't know if this is a first edition of a second printing or what.

Hi Maggers - that's a 1st printing you have. The lowest number in the string indicates the printing so, if you had 09876543 in a string, its a 3rd printing.
Sometimes strings will list the even then odd numbers 10864297531 but it's almost always the lowest number that indicates BUT some companies indicate the print run by the number that is missing. I have a complete set of Hubbard's Mission Earth and they all have the number 1 missing but they're all definitely 1sts. I remember a few years ago the 1st printing status of the US version King/Straub's Black House (Ranom House?!?!) - it had the #1 missing but this indicated a 1st
Hope this helps
Steve

Maggers -- No matter what it says, that's not the first edition The first edition was the 500-copy s/l edition from Gauntlet. The person who edits the copyright page isn't always aware of prior small-press editions.

The best place to be sure is the bibliography (which I'm updating soon) that always lists the first world edition (sometimes it's the UK) first.

Maggers -- No matter what it says, that's not the first edition The first edition was the 500-copy s/l edition from Gauntlet. The person who edits the copyright page isn't always aware of prior small-press editions.

The best place to be sure is the bibliography (which I'm updating soon) that always lists the first world edition (sometimes it's the UK) first.

Thanks, Paul. I didn't think that a copy I would have in my possession, purchased from amazon, could possibly be worth anything other than its intrinsic value to me as a reader and, since you inscribed the book for me in Orlando, for its sentimental value. I know you have multiple publishers, and I get tripped up on who did what with whom and when.

Maggers -- No matter what it says, that's not the first edition The first edition was the 500-copy s/l edition from Gauntlet. The person who edits the copyright page isn't always aware of prior small-press editions.

The best place to be sure is the bibliography (which I'm updating soon) that always lists the first world edition (sometimes it's the UK) first.

This makes more sense regarding the First Edition terminology. There can't be multiple first editions...one from Gauntlet, one from Tor, etc...there can only be one, and that is the one that was released first. Each imprint will have it's own print history of a title, which is where the first printing, second printing, etc comes into play. I still feel it is impossible to have a First Edition, but second printing. Its too contradictory.

I got hardcover of Gateways from Bluesman Mike.

A Forge book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates LLC

and on the copyright page it says at the bottom.....

First Edition: November 2003

Printed in the United States of America

0987654321

Is it first edition? Or it's not? Always first 500-copy is first edition?


By the way, My Japanese edition's FPW's books are all first edition. Japanese edition hasn't "Limited Edition", so first edition is easy to get.

第１刷...(This is first edition)
.
.
.
.
第１０刷...(This is tenth edition)

I've checked some of my price guides, and all pretty much agree that the true first edition of a book is the earliest release of the book to the general public (Duh!). This is the only edition that holds any value to collectors of First Edition books, and since the printing history does not factor into the value of the book after the first printing, its inclusion is usually moot. The 2nd printing of a book is generally no more valuable than the fifteenth or thirtieth printing of a book. There are exceptions, such as Stephen King's The Gunslinger, which had a fairly small first print run (10,000 copies) and a fairly small second print run (10,000 copies). The First Run sells for $600 and up, while the second print run sells for around $125. Incidentally, the third print of this (11,000) sells for around $60 - $75.

In an F. Paul Wilson example, the Gauntlet editions of the Jack books generally arrive on the market first, and are the First Editions, while the Forge versions (though state they are First editions, and are First Forge Editions, do not generally increase in value.

The CD version of Midnight Mass, will undoubtedly be stated a first edition, but will not likely increase in value for many years, and then only because of the signature and the low print run.

The CD version of Midnight Mass, will undoubtedly be stated a first edition, but will not likely increase in value for many years, and then only because of the signature and the low print run.

I just received my author copies so the rest of you should be receiving yours soon. It does say "First Edition" on the copyright page, but it's not.

There are exceptions, such as Stephen King's The Gunslinger, which had a fairly small first print run (10,000 copies) and a fairly small second print run (10,000 copies). The First Run sells for $600 and up, while the second print run sells for around $125. Incidentally, the third print of this (11,000) sells for around $60 - $75.

Are these hardcover editions?

The CD version of Midnight Mass, will undoubtedly be stated a first edition, but will not likely increase in value for many years, and then only because of the signature and the low print run.

And the cool cover art.

Are these hardcover editions?

Yeah...the Donald M. Grant hardcovers. I think The Gunslinger was issued around 1982 maybe.

Generally speaking, the later releases in softcover aren't worth much more than cover price.