Is My Conjure Wife a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First magazine appearance was the April 1943 issue of Unknown Worlds
• The first book appearance was in the hardcover anthology Witches Three (Twayne, 1952), where an expanded and revised text led the volume alongside stories by Blish and Pratt
• The first standalone book was the Lion Books paperback original of 1953; a standalone hardcover did not follow until the Gregg Press edition of 1977

How Twayne marked a first edition

• 1954-c.1985: Founded 1954 in Detroit by Frederick Gale Ruffner Jr. as a reference-only house (Encyclopedia of Associations from 1956, Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography). Multi-volume reference sets a…
• c.1985-present: A number line may appear on the copyright page (lowest digit = printing), but the meaningful unit for serial reference works is the edition number and volume number. Library-bound; the first-printing prem…

Full Twayne first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 1943 Unknown Worlds serial is the true textual first. The first book appearance is the 1952 Twayne anthology Witches Three (hardcover), not the Lion paperback. The 1953 Lion edition is the first standalone book; the 1977 Gregg hardcover is the first standalone hardcover.P-009509

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition applies. Distinguish the fragile 1953 Lion paperback original from later Ace and Berkley reprints, and note that the earliest book form is the 1952 Twayne anthology rather than any standalone.P-009510

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Conjure Wife a first edition?

A first edition of Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber (Twayne) is identified by: First magazine appearance was the April 1943 issue of Unknown Worlds.

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 1943 Unknown Worlds serial is the true textual first.

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

No book-club edition applies. Distinguish the fragile 1953 Lion paperback original from later Ace and Berkley reprints, and note that the earliest book form is the 1952 Twayne anthology rather than any standalone.

I have a first edition of Conjure Wife — 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.