Is My Copy of A Prayer for Owen Meany a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Morrow trade first: the copyright page carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (reading down to 1) with no later-printing statement present
• Thick octavo of 543 pages in publisher's cloth
• The first-issue dust jacket bears cover art by Honi Werner, and the unclipped jacket carries its printed price on the front flap (the price should be present; a clipped flap is a defect but not a later-issue point)
• See the precedence question below

How William Morrow marked a first edition

• c.1975–1990 (Harper & Row): the number line MOVED to the copyright page and a two-digit YEAR line was often added alongside it (e.g. '71 72 73'). First printing = 'First Edition' plus a number line whose lowest number…

Full William Morrow 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. 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?

Precedence is debated. The Toronto Lester & Orpen Dennys edition (Canada, 1989) is widely cited as a legitimate first trade edition issued alongside the US Morrow trade edition, and dealers treat both as 1989 firsts. A Franklin Library signed limited edition, full leather with gilt page edges, was also issued in 1989. Collectors who want the earliest issue should weigh the Canadian Lester & Orpen Dennys edition and the Franklin Library signed edition against the US Morrow trade first.P-015465

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club issue of the Morrow edition: smaller and lighter in bulk, no number line on the copyright page, a blind-stamp (small square or dot) to the rear board, and no price printed on the jacket flap. The Franklin Library leather edition is a separate signed limited, not a book-club reprint.P-015466

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Prayer for Owen Meany a first edition?

A first edition of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (William Morrow) is identified by: US Morrow trade first: the copyright page carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (reading down to 1) with no later-printing statement present.

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). Precedence is debated.

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

Book club issue of the Morrow edition: smaller and lighter in bulk, no number line on the copyright page, a blind-stamp (small square or dot) to the rear board, and no price printed on the jacket flap. The Franklin Library leather edition is a separate signed limited, not a book-club reprint.

I have a first edition of A Prayer for Owen Meany — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.