Skip to main content

First-Edition Identification · Jack Ketchum

Is My Cover a First Edition?

Warner Books, 1987

The points of issue

Warner Books paperback original, 1987. First printing stated on copyright page with full number line.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder.

Is this the true first?

PBO is the true first; later signed limited hardcovers (Gauntlet Press, Dark Regions) are first-thus only.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

N/A (PBO).

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Cover a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: Warner Books paperback original, 1987. First printing stated on copyright page with full number line.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. PBO is the true first; later signed limited hardcovers (Gauntlet Press, Dark Regions) are first-thus only.

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

N/A (PBO).

I have a first edition of Cover — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

Keep identifying