Is My A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US first (Webster, 1889), illustrated throughout by Dan Beard, in publisher's subscription cloth, gilt-stamped
• The accepted first-state point is the presence of a small S-like ornament within the caption on page 59 (between the words THE and KING); the second state lacks that ornament
• Issued without the half-title on the recto of the frontispiece
• The UK Chatto & Windus edition appeared the same year under the title 'A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur.'

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 first (Webster) and UK first (Chatto & Windus, as 'A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur'), both 1889; precedence is close and is established by imprint. The Dan Beard illustrations are integral to the first.P-020921

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings and reprints lack the Webster subscription cloth and the first-state caption ornament on page 59; the second state already drops the small S-like ornament.P-020922

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court a first edition?

A first edition of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) (Charles L. Webster & Co.) is identified by: US first (Webster, 1889), illustrated throughout by Dan Beard, in publisher's subscription cloth, gilt-stamped.

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 first (Webster) and UK first (Chatto & Windus, as 'A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur'), both 1889; precedence is close and is established by imprint.

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

Later printings and reprints lack the Webster subscription cloth and the first-state caption ornament on page 59; the second state already drops the small S-like ornament.

I have a first edition of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court — 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.