The points of issue
Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering; 171 pp.; dust jacket priced 8.95 on the front flap; number line present and ending in 1 on the copyright page (Harper & Row first-printing tell).
Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row 1978 edition is the true first of this memoir.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the printed jacket flap price, often show a blind stamp to the rear board, and do not carry the complete number line ending in 1.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Childhood: The Biography of a Place a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering; 171 pp.; dust jacket priced 8.95 on the front flap; number line present and ending in 1 on the copyright page (Harper & Row first-printing tell).
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Harper & Row 1978 edition is the true first of this memoir.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club copies lack the printed jacket flap price, often show a blind stamp to the rear board, and do not carry the complete number line ending in 1.
I have a first edition of A Childhood: The Biography of a Place — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.