Is My A Shilling for Candles a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Issued by Methuen & Co., London, 1936, with the full title on the title page reading "A Shilling for Candles
• The Story of a Crime"; it is the first book published under the Josephine Tey pseudonym
• Methuen's house practice from 1905 onward, per the Quill & Brush publisher reference, was to state "First published in [Year]" on the copyright page of a first edition and to note subsequent printings, so a first printing should read "First published in 1936" with no reprint or later-edition notice beneath it; that Methuen did mark later states is confirmed by catalogued Methuen copies designated "2nd Edition"
• Binding is original mustard cloth with the upper cover and spine lettered in black, as described in the Sotheby's 2021 Detective Fiction / Alexis Galanos Collection catalogue
• The dust jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the upper flap; the Sotheby's copy is expressly noted with the price absent from the upper flap, i.e. clipped

How Methuen & Co. marked a first edition

• Since 1905: state "First published in [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page of firsts, with later printings noted

Full Methuen & 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 UK 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?

The UK Methuen (London) 1936 edition is the true first and the only contemporary edition of the text. No American edition followed for eighteen years: the first American edition is The Macmillan Company, New York, 1954, issued in Macmillan's "Murder Revisited" series. Both editions are collected, but the Macmillan 1954 is a first American edition only and must never be described as a first edition of the work; the eighteen-year gap makes precedence unambiguous.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue of the 1936 Methuen printing is documented. Later-issue tells: Methuen reprints and later editions carry the corresponding reprint/edition notice on the copyright page (a Methuen copy catalogued "2nd Edition" is recorded). All Pan (from 1958), Berkley, Dell and Folio Society appearances are plainly later reprints under their own imprints and title-page names.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Shilling for Candles a first edition?

A first edition of A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey (Methuen & Co.) is identified by: Issued by Methuen & Co., London, 1936, with the full title on the title page reading "A Shilling for Candles.

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. The UK Methuen (London) 1936 edition is the true first and the only contemporary edition of the text.

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

No book-club issue of the 1936 Methuen printing is documented. Later-issue tells: Methuen reprints and later editions carry the corresponding reprint/edition notice on the copyright page (a Methuen copy catalogued "2nd Edition" is recorded). All Pan (from 1958), Berkley, Dell and Folio Society appearances are plainly later reprints under their own imprints and title-page names.

I have a first edition of A Shilling for Candles — 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.