Is My Demian a First Edition?

The points of issue

• German true first: S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin, 1919, issued under the pseudonym 'Emil Sinclair' (the narrator's name) — the defining point of the first printings, whose title page bears no mention of Hesse
• Hesse's authorship was publicly exposed in 1920 (by Otto Flake and Eduard Korrodi), after which the attribution was corrected and Hesse returned the Fontane Prize he had won as a supposed first-time author; the tenth edition was the first to carry Hesse's own name and the expanded title 'Demian: Die Geschichte von Emil Sinclairs Jugend.' The novel had first appeared serially in Die Neue Rundschau (February–April 1919) before separate book publication that June

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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 American 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 German first (S. Fischer, 1919, as by 'Emil Sinclair') is the true first. First edition in English, and first American, is the N. H. Priday translation, Boni & Liveright, New York, 1923 — described as the second Hesse novel to appear in English — in publisher's cloth with a geometric black-and-red pattern repeated on the dust jacket; it was reissued by Henry Holt in 1948. Both the 1919 German first and the 1923 Boni & Liveright are collected.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Multiple early 'Emil Sinclair' printings exist; only the earliest S. Fischer printings predate the 1920 authorship revelation, and later printings carry Hesse's name. The 1948 Henry Holt reissue and later mid-century reprints are not the 1923 first English edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Demian a first edition?

A first edition of Demian by Hermann Hesse (S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin) is identified by: Fischer Verlag, Berlin, 1919, issued under the pseudonym 'Emil Sinclair' (the narrator's name) — the defining point of the first printings, whose title page bears no mention of Hesse.

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 German first (S.

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

Multiple early 'Emil Sinclair' printings exist; only the earliest S. Fischer printings predate the 1920 authorship revelation, and later printings carry Hesse's name. The 1948 Henry Holt reissue and later mid-century reprints are not the 1923 first English edition.

I have a first edition of Demian — 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.