Is My Conan the Conqueror (The Hour of the Dragon) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Gnome Press first hardcover edition, 1950, titled 'Conan the Conqueror'
• Copyright page with Gnome Press imprint and no later printings stated
• Dust jacket art; first state has the original Gnome Press price on the jacket flap
• This was the first Conan story in hardcover

How Gnome Press marked a first edition

• First editions generally STATE 'First Edition' on the copyright page — but this alone is NOT conclusive: in offset reprints Gnome sometimes left a prior publisher's 'First Edition' statement standing
• Confirm via binding measurements/bulk and priority dust-jacket points (rear-panel ad titles, jacket art state) documented title-by-title in the Gnome bibliography

Full Gnome 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. 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. 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.
5. 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?

Gnome Press 1950 is the true first hardcover Conan book. The original magazine appearance ('The Hour of the Dragon', Weird Tales, 1935-36 serialization) predates it but the book first is the Gnome Press. The 1950s Gnome Conan series volumes are each scarce firsts.P-027201

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Ace/Lancer paperbacks and the 1960s revivals are reprints, not the Gnome first. Any paperback is a reprint; the Gnome Press hardcover with 1950 imprint is the collectible first.P-027202

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Conan the Conqueror (The Hour of the Dragon) a first edition?

A first edition of Conan the Conqueror (The Hour of the Dragon) by Robert E. Howard (Gnome Press) is identified by: Gnome Press first hardcover edition, 1950, titled 'Conan the Conqueror'.

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. Gnome Press 1950 is the true first hardcover Conan book.

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

Later Ace/Lancer paperbacks and the 1960s revivals are reprints, not the Gnome first. Any paperback is a reprint; the Gnome Press hardcover with 1950 imprint is the collectible first.

I have a first edition of Conan the Conqueror (The Hour of the Dragon) — 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.