Herman Wouk First Editions

• Aurora Dawn — 1947 · Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster first printing, 1947, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page; issued as a Venture Press book. Wouk's debut novel (full title "Aurora Dawn, or, The True History of Andrew Reale"), collating about 241 pages. Bound in dark blue cloth with the author's gilt initials stamped on the front board and gilt spine lettering, and with a red-stained top edge. The first-issue dust jacket was…. US Simon & Schuster is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition followed. Later reprints are noted on the copyright page; a first printing carries no such later-printing statement.
• The City Boy — 1948 · Simon & SchusterFirst printing with the copyright page reading COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY HERMAN WOUK and carrying no later-printing statement; the book was manufactured by American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York. Bound in red boards with the author's initials stamped in gilt on the front cover and the title, author, and publisher in gilt on the spine, the title set over a black rectangular panel. The first-issue dust jacket…. US Simon & Schuster is the true first; a UK edition followed later. The title was later shortened to City Boy for the 1969 Twentieth Anniversary Edition, so the longer title on the title page is a first-edition tell. Later printings are noted on the copyright page; a first printing shows only the 1948 copyright line with no additional printing notation.
• The Caine Mutiny — 1951 · Doubleday & CompanyDoubleday first states 'First Edition' on the copyright page (no number line in this era); the first edition, second impression lacks the 'First Edition' statement. Blue cloth with illustrated endpapers; first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price. A finer jacket point: the first-issue rear panel reads 'The City Boy' (an earlier Wouk title), while the later jacket state reads 'City Boy.'. US Doubleday 1951 true first; the 1952 Pulitzer winner. 'First Edition' on the copyright page is required, with the rear-panel 'The City Boy' reading distinguishing the earliest jacket. Book-club copies carry a blind-stamp on the rear board, lack 'First Edition,' and the jacket lacks the printed price. The title is very common in book-club format.
• Marjorie Morningstar — 1955 · Doubleday & Company'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. Trade first issued in black cloth over blue boards stamped in silver and blue; the dust jacket carries the publisher's printed price on the front flap (photograph by Richard Avedon, jacket design by John Scotford). US Doubleday is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition appeared in 1955. Book club editions lack the 'First Edition' statement and the jacket price; the trade first states 'First Edition'.
• This Is My God — 1959 · Doubleday & Company'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1959). A non-fiction account of Judaism from a Modern Orthodox perspective, octavo, approximately 356 pages. Issued in cloth boards stamped on the spine, in a priced pictorial dust jacket; the printed jacket price should be present. The first-issue jacket is unclipped when in original state. US Doubleday is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1960. Reprints omit the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; the Doubleday book-club printings likewise drop that statement and are the standard later-state tell.
• Youngblood Hawke — 1962 · Doubleday & CompanyThe words 'First Edition' are stated on the copyright page with no mention of later printings. As a further confirmation, Doubleday firsts of this era carry a gutter code (a letter-plus-number printing code) at the foot of the last page of text, the letter indicating the year of printing. The trade first is a thick octavo bound in cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a priced (unclipped) dust jacket whose spine…. US Doubleday is the true first, 1962; a UK Collins edition also appeared in 1962 as a separate setting. Book club editions carry a blind-stamp (small dot or square) to the lower rear board; note that some book-club copies also print 'First Edition,' so confirm the absence of the rear-board blind-stamp, and where present the Doubleday gutter code, to identify the trade first.
• Don't Stop the Carnival — 1965 · Doubleday & Company"First Edition" stated on the copyright page. Published by Doubleday at Garden City, and issued in tan and russet cloth-covered boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine, illustrated map endpapers, and a pictorial dust jacket. The jacket painting is by Janet Gasson and the design by Owen Scott; the jacket should bear its original printed price on the front flap. A key point is the absence of any…. US Doubleday edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Collins in 1965. Book-club editions are common. Doubleday book-club copies lack the price on the jacket and show a blind-stamped dot or indentation in the lower corner of the rear board; the trade first has no such mark.
• The Winds of War — 1971 · Little, Brown and CompanyCopyright page reads "First Edition" accompanied by the Little, Brown dating code T11/71 (the T-code indicates November 1971). Bound in black quarter cloth over red boards, stamped in gilt and red, with black endpapers and gilt-and-black spine lettering; the priced first-issue dust jacket should be present. Roughly 885 pages. US Little, Brown edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Collins in 1971. With this title Wouk moved from Doubleday to Little, Brown. Book club editions are common and are smaller and lighter, printed on cheaper bulked paper, lack the T11/71 code, and typically carry a blind-stamped mark on the rear board.
• War and Remembrance — 1978 · Little, Brown and CompanyCopyright page reads "First Trade Edition" with the Little, Brown dating code T10/78 (October 1978); copyright notice reads Copyright 1978 by Herman Wouk. A signed limited edition was also issued and should not be confused with the trade first. US Little, Brown trade edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Collins in 1978. Book club editions are very common, lack the T-code, and are typically lighter with a blind-stamped mark on the rear board.
• Inside, Outside — 1985 · Little, Brown and CompanyCopyright page identifies the first printing by Little, Brown's stated-edition wording and dating code rather than a 1-to-10 number line; published Boston/Toronto, 644 pp. A separate signed limited edition (a special binding of roughly 1,500 copies) was also issued. US Little, Brown edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Collins in 1985. Book club editions are common and lack the publisher's dating code.
• The Hope — 1993 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by "First Edition" stated on the copyright page together with the full descending number line ending in 1. Boston, Little, Brown; a large novel of Israel's founding years, depicting real figures such as David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir alongside fictional military families. Bound in blue boards with a quarter-cloth spine stamped in gilt. First-state dust jacket carries the…. The US Little, Brown edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Hodder & Stoughton in 1994. Book club editions are common, lack the stated First Edition and number line, carry no printed price on the jacket flap, and are typically lighter with cheaper binding.
• The Glory — 1994 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by "First Edition" stated with the full descending number line ending in 1. Sequel to The Hope; Boston, Little, Brown. A signed deluxe limited edition (about 200 copies, issued without dust jacket) was also produced. US Little, Brown edition is the true first; the UK edition followed from Hodder & Stoughton in 1994. Book club editions are common and lack the number line.

More Literary Fiction (US) & Award Winners shelves: Hermann Hesse, Hilary Mantel, Hunter S. Thompson, Iain Banks, Iain M. Banks, Ian McEwan.

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