Is My Captains Courageous a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The Century Co. of New York published the first book edition of Captains Courageous in 1897, about a month ahead of the Macmillan London edition, following serialization in McClure's Magazine that began in November 1896
• The Century first edition collates viii + 323 pages, is illustrated with plates by I. W. Taber, and is bound in green cloth gilt-lettered with pictorial stamping in gilt, black, and orange
• The Macmillan first English edition collates viii, 245, [1], plus 2 pages of advertisements, is illustrated with twenty-two full-page plates by I. W. Taber, and is bound in the publisher's blue cloth stamped in gilt, with all edges gilt

How The Century Co. marked a first edition

• 19th-century rule: no consistent stated-edition convention — match the title-page date to the copyright date and confirm no later printing is noted.
• Many Century books originated as serials in The Century Magazine or St. Nicholas; the first book printing is dated on the title page and lacks reprint notices.

Full The Century Co. 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 British 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 Century Co. New York edition of 1897 preceded the Macmillan London edition by about a month and holds bibliographic priority as the true first edition; the illustrated Macmillan English first edition is nonetheless the state most commonly sought by collectors of Kipling's British canon.P-035025

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Captains Courageous a first edition?

A first edition of Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (The Century Co.) is identified by: of New York published the first book edition of Captains Courageous in 1897, about a month ahead of the Macmillan London edition, following serialization in McClure's Magazine that began in November 1896.

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 Century Co.

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

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first; look for a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price.

I have a first edition of Captains Courageous — 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.