Is My A Voyage to Arcturus a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The copyright page reads "First Published in 1920"; collation is pp. [1-8] [1] 2-303 [304: printer's imprint], with an 8-page publisher's catalogue inserted at the rear
• The first binding is red cloth with the spine panel stamped in gold and the front cover stamped in blind
• A later, second binding on the same first-edition sheets is red mesh-weave cloth with front and spine panels stamped in black, top and fore edges trimmed and bottom edge untrimmed
• Because unsold sheets were bound up and reissued over several years, the inserted publisher's catalogue is the practical issue tell: an undated catalogue accompanies early copies, while a catalogue dated "925"
• marks a late reissue
• The first-issue jacket is printed in black on grey paper stock and is exceptionally rare — only three surviving examples are recorded

How Methuen & Co. Ltd. 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. Ltd. first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK 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?

UK Methuen 1920 is the sole true first — there was no US edition until 1963 (Macmillan, New York), so the census's UK-only claim holds. The census figure of "~1,430 copies printed" is not settled: the scholarly Violet Apple site and Wikipedia give a press run of 1,430, L.W. Currey gives 1,250, and a Dominic Winter auction catalogue gives 1,500 for the first issue. Sources agree only that no more than 596 copies sold. The 1963 Gollancz (UK) and Macmillan (US) editions are reprints, not firsts.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition of the 1920 Methuen is documented. The reprint/reissue tells that matter are internal to the first edition: the second (black-stamped mesh-weave) binding and the dated inserted catalogue both indicate remainder sheets bound up years after publication, not a first issue. Later Gollancz (1963) and Macmillan (1963) printings are the common reprints mistaken for firsts.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Voyage to Arcturus a first edition?

A first edition of A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay (Methuen & Co. Ltd.) is identified by: The copyright page reads "First Published in 1920"; collation is pp.

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. UK Methuen 1920 is the sole true first — there was no US edition until 1963 (Macmillan, New York), so the census's UK-only claim holds.

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

No book-club edition of the 1920 Methuen is documented. The reprint/reissue tells that matter are internal to the first edition: the second (black-stamped mesh-weave) binding and the dated inserted catalogue both indicate remainder sheets bound up years after publication, not a first issue. Later Gollancz (1963) and Macmillan (1963) printings are the common reprints mistaken for firsts.

I have a first edition of A Voyage to Arcturus — 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.