Is My A Princess of Mars a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing: A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1917, published 10 October 1917 in a first printing of 10,200 copies
• The copyright page (verso of the title leaf) reads "Published October, 1917" with the printer's imprint "W. F. Hall Printing Company, Chicago" at the foot; both must be present
• Octavo, pp. [i-vi] vii-xii [xiii-xvi] 1-326 [327] [328: blank]. Bound in dark brown cloth with the front and spine panels stamped in orange (some dealers describe the stamping as red)
• Five inserted sepia plates by Frank E. Schoonover, who also painted the jacket
• Priced jacket / price present at the flap
• Note a genuine advance state: McClurg issued a pre-publication paperbound copy in pictorial wrappers with a Schoonover illustration, its copyright page reading "Published September, 1917" — this advance printing precedes the published trade edition and is catalogued separately by Currey

How A. C. McClurg & Co. marked a first edition

• 1900-1930s: continued reliance on the dated title page; later printings often added 'Published (month, year)' impression lines on the copyright page, so absence of such later dates indicates a first printing. For key tit…

Full A. C. McClurg & Co. 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. 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.
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?

US original; the McClurg (Chicago) 1917 is the true first edition in book form and the census claim is correct on this point. The text was serialized as "Under the Moons of Mars" in The All-Story, February–July 1912, five years before book publication and before Tarzan of the Apes (1914) appeared in book form. The census claim of a Methuen 1919 UK first is NOT confirmed and appears to be an error: the ERBzine C.H.A.S.E.R. and Chrono-Log entries list no Methuen date for this title, while dealer listings (Rooke Books, Biblio, AbeBooks) consistently record the Methuen (London) edition as 1920 — the same year Methuen issued The Gods of Mars. The exact UK first year could not be pinned to an authoritative bibliography; treat it as Methuen (London), 1920. In any case the Methuen is a later, secondary edition and does not compete for precedence — McClurg carries priority.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Reprints are the common trap and vastly outnumber the 10,200-copy first (roughly 172,700 copies across all printings). Grosset & Dunlap issued the title from 1918 into the 1940s and A. L. Burt also reprinted it. Reprint copies carry the reprint publisher's imprint at the foot of the spine and on the title page in place of McClurg, and the G&D reprints carry a reduced illustration complement (frontispiece plus four plates) rather than the five Schoonover sepia plates of the McClurg first. Any copy lacking the "Published October, 1917" / W. F. Hall Printing Company copyright page is not the first edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Princess of Mars a first edition?

A first edition of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (A. C. McClurg & Co.) is identified by: First edition, first printing: A.

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 original; the McClurg (Chicago) 1917 is the true first edition in book form and the census claim is correct on this point.

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

Reprints are the common trap and vastly outnumber the 10,200-copy first (roughly 172,700 copies across all printings). Grosset & Dunlap issued the title from 1918 into the 1940s and A. L. Burt also reprinted it. Reprint copies carry the reprint publisher's imprint at the foot of the spine and on the title page in place of McClurg, and the G&D reprints carry a reduced illustration complement (frontispiece plus four plates) rather than the five Schoonover sepia plates of the McClurg first. Any cop

I have a first edition of A Princess of Mars — 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.