Is My Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Doubleday first edition, Garden City, NY, March 1968, 210 pages
• First printing carries the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, confirmed by the Doubleday date code 'J5' (fifth week of 1968) in the lower right margin of the final text page, page 210
• Bound in gray cloth with gilt spine lettering, 8vo
• First-issue jacket has cover art by Harry Sehring and should retain its printed price on the front flap (do not require an unclipped jacket to call it first-state, but the printed price on an unclipped example confirms it)

How Doubleday marked a first edition

• Mid-1958–early 1959: numerical gutter code (1–52) on the last page of text indicating the WEEK of printing. Early 1959–1987: added a LETTER code before the week code indicating the YEAR.

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. 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 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 US Doubleday hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Rapp & Whiting edition of 1969. The priced first-issue jacket is the key identification point; PKD firsts are scarce and frequently lack jackets, so verify the gray cloth, the 'First Edition' statement, and the 'J5' code on page 210 together.P-024795

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Doubleday/SFBC book-club edition shows 'Book Club Edition' on the front jacket flap with no printed price, a blind-stamped dot (gutter code) on the rear board, bulkier and cheaper paper stock, and lacks the 'J5' date code found in the trade first. The BCE is common; the trade first in a priced first-issue jacket is far scarcer.P-024796

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? a first edition?

A first edition of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (Doubleday) is identified by: Doubleday first edition, Garden City, NY, March 1968, 210 pages.

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 US Doubleday hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Rapp & Whiting edition of 1969.

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

The Doubleday/SFBC book-club edition shows 'Book Club Edition' on the front jacket flap with no printed price, a blind-stamped dot (gutter code) on the rear board, bulkier and cheaper paper stock, and lacks the 'J5' date code found in the trade first. The BCE is common; the trade first in a priced first-issue jacket is far scarcer.

I have a first edition of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — 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.