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First-Edition Identification · Roderick L. Haig-Brown

Is My A River Never Sleeps a First Edition?

William Morrow, 1946

The points of issue

First US printing: viii, 352 pp, black-and-white illustrations by Louis Darling (twelve full-page plates); William Morrow imprint dated 1946 on the title page; octavo in original beige cloth, spine lettered in blue with a blue fish illustration on the upper board.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · William Morrow first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

First US edition (Morrow, 1946) was issued simultaneously with the first Canadian edition. The first UK edition (Collins, 1948) is a separate, later 'first thus' with different pagination and Stephen Russ vignettes.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Lyons Press and other later reissues (including those with added introductions) are 'first thus' reprints. Confirm the 1946 Morrow imprint to distinguish from the 1948 Collins UK first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A River Never Sleeps a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: First US printing: viii, 352 pp, black-and-white illustrations by Louis Darling (twelve full-page plates); William Morrow imprint dated 1946 on the title page; octavo in original beige cloth, spine lettered in blue with a blue fish illustration on the upper board.

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. First US edition (Morrow, 1946) was issued simultaneously with the first Canadian edition. The first UK edition (Collins, 1948) is a separate, later 'first thus' with different pagination and Stephen Russ vignettes.

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

Lyons Press and other later reissues (including those with added introductions) are 'first thus' reprints. Confirm the 1946 Morrow imprint to distinguish from the 1948 Collins UK first.

I have a first edition of A River Never Sleeps — 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.

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