Is My Choke a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete number line whose lowest number is 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
• Under the Doubleday convention in force from 2001, the printline appears on the first printing as well as on reprints, so both elements must be present together; later printings drop the "FIRST EDITION" statement and show an advanced printline with the 1 removed
• Issued in publisher's boards in a priced jacket — the price should be present and unclipped at the front flap
• ISBN 0385501560
• No first-state text error is recorded in any source consulted; do not accept a claimed text point for this title without a physical collation

How Doubleday marked a first edition

• c.1990s–present: uses a descending number row; presence of 1 indicates first printing. Throughout: any mention of later printings means it is NOT a first.

Full Doubleday 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?

The Doubleday US edition (New York, published 22 May 2001) precedes the UK first from Jonathan Cape (London, July 2001) by roughly six weeks, so the census claim is correct and the Doubleday US is the true first. The Jonathan Cape UK first edition is separately collected as the first British edition and should be described as such rather than as a first edition of the work. An uncorrected Cape proof in printed wraps (London, 2001) precedes both trade issues and is a proof, not an edition. The Anchor trade paperback (2002) is a later reprint and is not a collectible "first thus."

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No Doubleday book-club issue of Choke is documented in the sources consulted, and no club tells specific to this title could be confirmed. The reliable reprint tells are the loss of the "FIRST EDITION" statement and an advanced printline lacking the 1; the common later trade appearance is the Anchor paperback (2002). A jacket with no price at the flap should be treated with caution as a possible club or export issue rather than assumed to be a clipped trade jacket.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Choke a first edition?

A first edition of Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday) is identified by: The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete number line whose lowest number is 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1).

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). The Doubleday US edition (New York, published 22 May 2001) precedes the UK first from Jonathan Cape (London, July 2001) by roughly six weeks, so the census claim is correct and the Doubleday US is the true first.

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

No Doubleday book-club issue of Choke is documented in the sources consulted, and no club tells specific to this title could be confirmed. The reliable reprint tells are the loss of the "FIRST EDITION" statement and an advanced printline lacking the 1; the common later trade appearance is the Anchor paperback (2002). A jacket with no price at the flap should be treated with caution as a possible club or export issue rather than assumed to be a clipped trade jacket.

I have a first edition of Choke — 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.