Is My Black Elk Speaks a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing (William Morrow, 1932)
• Per Morrow's pre-1973 practice, the first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any later-printing statement on the copyright page ("Second Printing," etc.) — Morrow did not print an explicit "First Edition" line in this period
• Bound in crimson cloth stamped in bronze/gilt (a gray-cloth variant stamped in red is also recorded, both accepted as first-printing states); xv, [3], 280 pp., with the Standing Bear illustrations in color and black-and-white
• First-issue dust jacket with the original Standing Bear art and its price printed at the flap; jacketed firsts are genuinely rare

How William Morrow & Company marked a first edition

• 1922–c.1962 (Harper & Brothers, stated-first era): from 1922 Harper & Brothers began printing the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page. IMPORTANT: the letter printing code did NOT stop in 1922 — it continued to ap…

Full William Morrow & Company 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. 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.
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 William Morrow (1932) is the true first — the landmark Lakota spiritual autobiography, "as told to" John G. Neihardt. Identify it by the Morrow copyright-page rule (no later-printing statement present). Later University of Nebraska Press / Bison Books editions (from 1961) are "first thus" with new introductions and are common; the 1932 Morrow first is scarce, especially jacketed.P-036896

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition prominent in 1932; the pervasive confusion is the University of Nebraska Press / Bison Books editions (1961 onward), which carry the Nebraska imprint and added introductions — clearly not the 1932 Morrow first. Any later-printing statement on a Morrow copyright page likewise rules out the first printing.P-036897

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Black Elk Speaks a first edition?

A first edition of Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt (as told through Black Elk) (William Morrow & Company) is identified by: First edition, first printing (William Morrow, 1932).

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. US William Morrow (1932) is the true first — the landmark Lakota spiritual autobiography, "as told to" John G.

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

No book-club edition prominent in 1932; the pervasive confusion is the University of Nebraska Press / Bison Books editions (1961 onward), which carry the Nebraska imprint and added introductions — clearly not the 1932 Morrow first. Any later-printing statement on a Morrow copyright page likewise rules out the first printing.

I have a first edition of Black Elk Speaks — 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.