Is My Archangel a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First book-form edition: the collected hardcover graphic novel from IDW Publishing, ISBN 978-1-63140-875-5, 144 pages, gathering the five-issue IDW comic mini-series
• The hardcover was released in October 2017; the first printing is identified on the indicia, where the print date reads 2017
• Written by William Gibson with Michael St
• John Smith and illustrated by Butch Guice; the series was nominated for an Eisner Award

How IDW Publishing marked a first edition

• Floppy issues and trade paperbacks: a first printing carries no printing statement; later printings are explicitly stated. The indicia gives the publisher block, ISBN, and printing.
• Collected editions/hardcovers: the copyright/indicia page states the printing with month and year (e.g. 'First Printing, May 2018'); a first printing shows the earliest single date.

Full IDW Publishing 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. 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?

Story written by William Gibson with Michael St. John Smith, illustrated by Butch Guice. The five single comic issues (IDW, 2016 series, running 2016 to 2017) precede the collected book; the 2017 hardcover is the first collected book-form edition. A separate German-language edition also exists and is not the first.P-033555

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

None. Watch the indicia for a later-printing line on subsequent trade printings.P-033556

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Archangel a first edition?

A first edition of Archangel by William Gibson (with Michael St. John Smith; art Butch Guice) (IDW Publishing) is identified by: First book-form edition: the collected hardcover graphic novel from IDW Publishing, ISBN 978-1-63140-875-5, 144 pages, gathering the five-issue IDW comic mini-series.

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. Story written by William Gibson with Michael St.

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

None. Watch the indicia for a later-printing line on subsequent trade printings.

I have a first edition of Archangel — 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.