Is My A River Runs Through It and Other Stories a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First state has the typo 'adways' for 'always' in the fifth paragraph of p
• 27; the copyright page carries an ISBN that is missing a digit, with the correct, different ISBN on the rear dust-jacket flap; copyright page states 'Published 1976' with no number line; jacket price 7.95 on the top inside front flap; xiv, 217 pp

How University of Chicago Press marked a first edition

• Copyright page typically prints a sequence of edition/printing/year codes. Older Chicago books show two date rows: a row of EDITION years and a row of IMPRESSION/printing years; the earliest impression year present indic…

Full University of Chicago 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. 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?

True first US edition, and Maclean's first book — also the first work of fiction ever published by the University of Chicago Press. Of about 5,000 copies printed, the first state comprises the first 3,000 bound; the second state is the remaining 2,000 bound after the first sold out. The 'adways' typo is present in the first state. No prior UK edition predates it.P-022922

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No notable US book-club edition of the true first. Later trade printings drop the 'adways' typo and reset the copyright page. Watch for matching-looking later printings that lack the dual-ISBN discrepancy.P-022923

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A River Runs Through It and Other Stories a first edition?

A first edition of A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean (University of Chicago Press) is identified by: First state has the typo 'adways' for 'always' in the fifth paragraph of p.

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). True first US edition, and Maclean's first book — also the first work of fiction ever published by the University of Chicago Press.

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

No notable US book-club edition of the true first. Later trade printings drop the 'adways' typo and reset the copyright page. Watch for matching-looking later printings that lack the dual-ISBN discrepancy.

I have a first edition of A River Runs Through It and Other Stories — 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.