Is My At Play in the Fields of the Lord a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First Edition' on the first printing and drops it on later printings (the '2'-terminating/-beginning number line is the same house lineage)
• Bound in quarter black cloth over beige cloth/boards with a gilt device to the front board, gilt spine lettering, and an orange (orange-red) top-stain; pagination [10], 1-373, [1]. Priced dust jacket with the price present at the front flap; jacket design attributed to Guy Fleming in one dealer record

How Random House marked a first edition

• Stated-edition era (c.1936–1975): trade first printings are plainly marked with the words 'First Edition' (or, on some earlier titles, 'First Printing') on the copyright page, with NO number line yet in use; a copyright…
• Divisional practice — share the STATEMENT, not the '2'-line: sister divisions state 'First Edition' as their firsts (Alfred A. Knopf consistently since 1933–34; Pantheon since 1964), so the words work across the family.…

Full Random House 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 US 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?

US Random House 1965 is the true first and the collected edition (a National Book Award for Fiction finalist). The census note of a 'UK Heinemann 1966' could not be independently confirmed in this pass and should be treated as unverified; the US-first identification and its points are not in doubt.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No title-specific book-club issue was independently documented here. As a general caution for 1960s Random House titles, book-club copies typically lack the stated 'First Edition' and a flap price and often bear a blind stamp to the rear board — confirm the copyright statement and top-stain before attributing a first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of At Play in the Fields of the Lord a first edition?

A first edition of At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen (Random House) is identified by: True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First Edition' on the first printing and drops it on later printings (the '2'-terminating/-beginning number line is the same house lineage).

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). US Random House 1965 is the true first and the collected edition (a National Book Award for Fiction finalist).

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

No title-specific book-club issue was independently documented here. As a general caution for 1960s Random House titles, book-club copies typically lack the stated 'First Edition' and a flap price and often bear a blind stamp to the rear board — confirm the copyright statement and top-stain before attributing a first.

I have a first edition of At Play in the Fields of the Lord — 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.