Is My Big as Life a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain
• First printings carry the words 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (Simon & Schuster's 1966 practice; no number line), and the priced dust jacket carries no review blurbs (identification only, price present at the flap)
• Because Doctorow was dissatisfied with this, his second book, and never permitted it to be reprinted, effectively every copy is a first edition and the title is genuinely his scarcest — there are no authorized later printings to confuse

How Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• CROSS-CHECK across all number-line eras: A 1-bearing number line is frequently paired with a spelled-out first-issue statement (which may read 'First Printing' OR 'First Edition' — both occur at S&S). When a positive sta…

Full Simon & Schuster 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-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition. No contemporary UK edition was published, and because the author suppressed the book there is no authorized later printing; any modern reappearance of the text is a much-later reissue, not a competing first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented; the defining fact is that the book was never reprinted at all, so a jacketed copy with 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page is the only issue.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Big as Life a first edition?

A first edition of Big as Life by E. L. Doctorow (Simon & Schuster) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain.

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-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition.

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

No book-club edition is documented; the defining fact is that the book was never reprinted at all, so a jacketed copy with 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page is the only issue.

I have a first edition of Big as Life — 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.