Is My Copy of Beautiful Losers a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: McClelland & Stewart (Toronto), 1966 — black cloth boards, gilt spine lettering, blind-stamped figure on the front board; dust jacket drawing by Harold Town, jacket design by Frank Newfeld
• The most reliable internal point is the presence of typographical extras dropped from all later editions: the mock comic-book captions, the Charles Axis bodybuilding parody advertisement, the radio transcript of 'Gavin and the Goddesses,' and the Greek-English phrasebook passage
• The first-printing sheets were printed by Viking and bound by M&S, so US Viking sheets in a Canadian jacket also occur

How McClelland & Stewart marked a first edition

• PRIMARY (era-dependent): M&S has no single universal first-printing convention; method depends on the period. For earlier/mid-century Canadian firsts, identify by the ABSENCE of any later-printing/number line on the…
• Corroborate with the printer's imprint / colophon for early-20th-century titles (e.g. L.M. Montgomery M&S firsts of the 1920s show printer names like Warwick Bros. & Rutter, with Hunter-Rose on later printings).

Full McClelland & Stewart first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the Canadian true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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?

The Canadian McClelland & Stewart 1966 hardcover is the true first edition of Cohen's second novel, published 28 April 1966. The US Viking Press (1966) and UK Jonathan Cape editions are secondary; collectors prize the Canadian M&S first. Because the original sheets were printed by Viking and bound by M&S, some copies pair US-printed text with a Canadian jacket.P-019416

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Beware later M&S, Viking, Vintage, and combined-omnibus reprints sold as 'first edition.' Confirm the 1966 single-title hardcover that still contains the comic-book captions, Charles Axis advertisement, 'Gavin and the Goddesses' transcript, and Greek-English phrasebook; these extras were removed from subsequent printings.P-019417

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Beautiful Losers a first edition?

A first edition of Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen (McClelland & Stewart) is identified by: True first: McClelland & Stewart (Toronto), 1966 — black cloth boards, gilt spine lettering, blind-stamped figure on the front board; dust jacket drawing by Harold Town, jacket design by Frank Newfeld.

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. The Canadian McClelland & Stewart 1966 hardcover is the true first edition of Cohen's second novel, published 28 April 1966.

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

Beware later M&S, Viking, Vintage, and combined-omnibus reprints sold as 'first edition.' Confirm the 1966 single-title hardcover that still contains the comic-book captions, Charles Axis advertisement, 'Gavin and the Goddesses' transcript, and Greek-English phrasebook; these extras were removed from subsequent printings.

I have a first edition of Beautiful Losers — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.