Is My Angels & Demons a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May 2000' with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
• Binding is quarter red cloth over orange paper-covered boards with spine lettering in gilt, in the unclipped jacket with the price present at the front flap
• The pre-fame first printing was small (reported at about 25,000 copies); some review copies carry a 'coming May 2000' Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books advertising card laid in

How Pocket Books marked a first edition

• First printing was typically stated on the copyright page in the early and mid era; later printings add a printing line (2nd printing, and so on), so the absence of any later-printing statement indicates a first.
• Modern Pocket Books uses a number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing.

Full Pocket Books 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. 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.
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?

New York: Pocket Books hardcover, May 2000 is the true first edition and the series high spot for the first Robert Langdon novel. UK first publication was only the Corgi paperback (Transworld, 2001) — there was no earlier UK hardcover. The 2003 Atria Books hardcover reissue, published after The Da Vinci Code's success, is a first-thus trap frequently misdescribed as a first edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club points are documented in the sources consulted. The chief hazards are the 2003 Atria hardcover reissue and later Pocket printings with truncated number lines — the May 2000 printing statement plus the complete 10-to-1 number line must both be present.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Angels & Demons a first edition?

A first edition of Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books) is identified by: First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May 2000' with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.

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). New York: Pocket Books hardcover, May 2000 is the true first edition and the series high spot for the first Robert Langdon novel.

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

No book-club points are documented in the sources consulted. The chief hazards are the 2003 Atria hardcover reissue and later Pocket printings with truncated number lines — the May 2000 printing statement plus the complete 10-to-1 number line must both be present.

I have a first edition of Angels & Demons — 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.