Is My A Fine Dark Line a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Subterranean Press signed limited edition, published in 2002, which also contains exclusive material (two unused prologues and an afterword) not in the trade edition
• The Mysterious Press trade hardcover (ISBN 0892967293) followed in January 2003 and is the first trade edition, identified by the copyright-page number line

How Subterranean Press marked a first edition

• Trade first edition: copyright-page number line with '1' present and no additional printings listed

Full Subterranean Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Subterranean Press limited edition of 2002 is the true first and predates the Mysterious Press trade hardcover of January 2003. Original publisher and year corrected accordingly.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A book-club edition of the Mysterious Press trade text exists; it lacks the number line and printed jacket price and is typically a lighter blind-stamped volume.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Fine Dark Line a first edition?

A first edition of A Fine Dark Line by Joe R. Lansdale (Subterranean Press) is identified by: The true first is the Subterranean Press signed limited edition, published in 2002, which also contains exclusive material (two unused prologues and an afterword) not in the trade edition.

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 Subterranean Press limited edition of 2002 is the true first and predates the Mysterious Press trade hardcover of January 2003.

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

A book-club edition of the Mysterious Press trade text exists; it lacks the number line and printed jacket price and is typically a lighter blind-stamped volume.

I have a first edition of A Fine Dark Line — what should I do?

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 lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

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.