2 John Hersey first editions are documented on this shelf, from A Bell for Adano (1944) to Hiroshima (1946). Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that John Hersey title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.

Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a John Hersey copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.

A Bell for Adano — 1944 · Alfred A. KnopfFirst printing has 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing notation. First-issue binding is olive (some copies grey) cloth with lettering and decoration in black and red; Borzoi device present. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed net price on the front panel, with jacket art credited to John Salter. US Knopf 1944 true first; Hersey's first novel and the 1945 Pulitzer winner. The point is 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with no statement of a later printing. Caution: Knopf retained the 'FIRST EDITION' statement across several early printings (the text went through multiple printings before and around publication), so the statement alone does not prove a true first printing; later printings are distinguished by an added printing notation. Book-club copies lack the statement entirely.
Hiroshima — 1946 · Alfred A. KnopfFirst edition, first printing: Knopf, 1946, with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon. Issued in original cloth with the first-issue dust jacket. The entire text first appeared in The New Yorker, August 31, 1946 (single-issue), which is a separate, highly collected 'first appearance.'. The New Yorker issue of Aug 31, 1946 is the true first printing of the text; the Knopf book (1946) is the first edition in book form ('first thus'). The UK Hamish Hamilton edition (1946) and a Penguin Special followed. Collectors distinguish the magazine first appearance from the Knopf book first. Numerous later printings and a 1985 expanded edition (adds the chapter 'The Aftermath') exist; the expanded edition is textually distinct and not the 1946 first. Book club copies lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement.

More Literary Fiction (US) & Award Winners shelves: John Irving, John Kennedy Toole, John M. Ford, John McGahern, John O'Hara, John P. Marquand.

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