Is My Bonjour Tristesse a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the French-language edition, published by René Julliard, Paris, in 1954, in printed wrappers (broché); the édition originale includes a limited numbered large-paper issue on special paper (grand papier) that precedes the ordinary trade printing
• The first English edition uses Irene Ash's translation and appeared in 1955 from two houses — E.P. Dutton (New York) and John Murray (London)
• On the Dutton first American printing the copyright page carries NO printing statement; later printings are stated on the copyright page and the dust-jacket flap (e.g., 'second/third/fourth printing'), so a true first shows no such line, and the American issue is bound in red cloth with a priced dust jacket

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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 UK 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?

French true first is unambiguous: René Julliard, Paris, 1954. The census hypothesis that John Murray (UK) precedes Dutton (US) appears reversed for the English translation: the Dutton (New York) edition was published early 1955 and ran to four printings within February–March 1955, while the John Murray (London) edition is recorded later in 1955 (reviewed in The Times, 19 May 1955) — so the US edition most likely precedes in English. Both English editions carry the same Irene Ash translation and are collected.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club first is documented. Note that later Dutton printings are explicitly stated on the copyright page and jacket flap; these are trade reprints, not book-club issues, and are frequently mis-described as firsts.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Bonjour Tristesse a first edition?

A first edition of Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan (René Julliard, Paris) is identified by: The true first is the French-language edition, published by René Julliard, Paris, in 1954, in printed wrappers (broché); the édition originale includes a limited numbered large-paper issue on special paper (grand papier) that precedes the ordinary trade printing.

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. French true first is unambiguous: René Julliard, Paris, 1954.

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

No book-club first is documented. Note that later Dutton printings are explicitly stated on the copyright page and jacket flap; these are trade reprints, not book-club issues, and are frequently mis-described as firsts.

I have a first edition of Bonjour Tristesse — 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.