Is My A Bell for Adano a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing has 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing notation
• First-issue binding is olive (some copies grey) cloth with lettering and decoration in black and red
• Borzoi device present
• First-issue dust jacket carries the printed net price on the front panel, with jacket art credited to John Salter

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Knopf 1944 true first; Hersey's first novel and the 1945 Pulitzer winner. The point is 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with no statement of a later printing.P-015454

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Caution: Knopf retained the 'FIRST EDITION' statement across several early printings (the text went through multiple printings before and around publication), so the statement alone does not prove a true first printing; later printings are distinguished by an added printing notation. Book-club copies lack the statement entirely.P-015455

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Bell for Adano a first edition?

A first edition of A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: First printing has 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing notation.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Knopf 1944 true first; Hersey's first novel and the 1945 Pulitzer winner.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Caution: Knopf retained the 'FIRST EDITION' statement across several early printings (the text went through multiple printings before and around publication), so the statement alone does not prove a true first printing; later printings are distinguished by an added printing notation. Book-club copies lack the statement entirely.

I have a first edition of A Bell for Adano — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.