Is My A Brief History of Seven Killings a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015)
• The Riverhead first thus precedes the UK by about a month
• First printing is told by a full number line ending in 1 (US Riverhead)
• The UK Oneworld first is identified by its imprint and 2014 verso statement

How Riverhead Books marked a first edition

• States 'First Edition' on the copyright page AND uses a descending number line ending in 1.
• A true first carries both the 'First Edition' statement and the 1; later printings strip the statement and/or shift the lowest number.

Full Riverhead Books 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. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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?

The US Riverhead 2014 (September) precedes the UK Oneworld 2014 (October) by roughly one month and is the effective true first. Both are 2014 editions; the prior record's UK date of 2015 was incorrect.P-020951

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The UK Oneworld first is distinguished by imprint and the 2014 date; the US Riverhead carries the US price. No prominent book-club edition.P-020952

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Brief History of Seven Killings a first edition?

A first edition of A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (Riverhead Books) is identified by: The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015).

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

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US Riverhead 2014 (September) precedes the UK Oneworld 2014 (October) by roughly one month and is the effective true first.

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

The UK Oneworld first is distinguished by imprint and the 2014 date; the US Riverhead carries the US price. No prominent book-club edition.

I have a first edition of A Brief History of Seven Killings — 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.