Is My Capitalism and Freedom a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the front board and spine, with a blue topstain
• The University of Chicago Press used no number line on this title, so the first printing is identified negatively: the copyright page shows the 1962 date with no reference to any later printing or impression — any added printing statement demotes the copy
• The title page reads 'with the assistance of Rose D. Friedman', and she is credited on the title page rather than as a co-author on the binding
• The jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap; an unclipped flap is the desired state

How University of Chicago Press marked a first edition

• Copyright page typically prints a sequence of edition/printing/year codes. Older Chicago books show two date rows: a row of EDITION years and a row of IMPRESSION/printing years; the earliest impression year present indic…

Full University of Chicago Press 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?

Census claim confirmed. This is a US-only first with no competing UK or original-language precedence: the book was written in English and first published by the University of Chicago Press in 1962. There is no earlier or simultaneous British edition to complicate priority, so the 1962 Chicago printing in jacket is the single collected first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for this title, and none of the consulted dealer or reference sources record a club edition — absence of a blind-stamp or club dot on the rear board is therefore not a usable test here. The practical reprint tell remains the copyright page: Chicago reprinted the book steadily and later impressions state the printing. The 2002 Fortieth Anniversary Edition and the later edition with a Binyamin Appelbaum introduction are 'first thus' reprints of the 1962 text, not first editions, despite carrying new front matter.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Capitalism and Freedom a first edition?

A first edition of Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman (University of Chicago Press) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the front board and spine, with a blue 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). Census claim confirmed.

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

No book-club issue is documented for this title, and none of the consulted dealer or reference sources record a club edition — absence of a blind-stamp or club dot on the rear board is therefore not a usable test here. The practical reprint tell remains the copyright page: Chicago reprinted the book steadily and later impressions state the printing. The 2002 Fortieth Anniversary Edition and the later edition with a Binyamin Appelbaum introduction are 'first thus' reprints of the 1962 text, not f

I have a first edition of Capitalism and Freedom — 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.