Is My Blue City a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Knopf, New York, 1947, with "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page
• Knopf's practice through the 1940s was to state "First Edition" on the copyright page of first printings and to note subsequent printings, so a copyright page carrying the statement with no reprint notice identifies the first; "First American Edition" was reserved for books already published abroad and does not apply here
• Bound in red to red-orange cloth with titling and decoration stamped in blue on the spine and front board, with a top-stain
• 276 pp, octavo
• Dust jacket designed by Philip Grushkin; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap
• Note a minor conflict among dealers on the top-stain, described as blue by two sources and black by a third — the cloth colour and blue stamping are consistent across all sources consulted

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf 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?

The census claim stands: the US Knopf 1947 edition, issued under Millar's real name, is the true first. It is his third novel, published before he created Lew Archer and before he adopted the Ross Macdonald pseudonym, so the author statement itself is a precedence marker. The first UK edition followed from Cassell, London, and is catalogued variously as 1948 or 1949 depending on the dealer; it is a later edition rather than a competing first, though it is collected in its own right as the first British appearance.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Critical trap: Knopf blind-stamps its own Borzoi colophon on the rear board of its trade printings, and this is routinely mistaken for a book-club blind stamp — the Borzoi device on the rear board is not evidence of a club printing. Genuine club printings are identified by the usual tells: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small dot on the rear board, lighter bulk, and cheaper paper stock. No specific named book-club printing of Blue City was documented in the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Blue City a first edition?

A first edition of Blue City by Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald) (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: Knopf, New York, 1947, with "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page.

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 census claim stands: the US Knopf 1947 edition, issued under Millar's real name, is the true first.

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

Critical trap: Knopf blind-stamps its own Borzoi colophon on the rear board of its trade printings, and this is routinely mistaken for a book-club blind stamp — the Borzoi device on the rear board is not evidence of a club printing. Genuine club printings are identified by the usual tells: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small dot on the rear board, lighter bulk, and cheaper paper stock. No specific named book-club printing of Blue City was documented in the sources consult

I have a first edition of Blue City — 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.