Is My Downward to the Earth a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first US hardcover was the Science Fiction Book Club edition issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1970
• As a book club issue it does NOT state "First Edition," carries an unpriced jacket, and shows the usual book-club blind stamp on the rear board
• Do not expect a stated "First Edition" or a priced trade jacket for this title

How Nelson 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 Nelson 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?

No separate Doubleday trade hardcover was issued; the first US hardcover appearance was the Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club edition. The novel was serialized in Galaxy (November 1969 to March 1970) before book publication.P-027808

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book club issue IS effectively the first hardcover here, so the usual "book club versus trade" distinction does not apply; standard book-club markers (no stated first, unpriced jacket, gutter blind stamp) are present on the first hardcover itself.P-027809

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Downward to the Earth a first edition?

A first edition of Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg (Nelson Doubleday) is identified by: The first US hardcover was the Science Fiction Book Club edition issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1970.

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. No separate Doubleday trade hardcover was issued; the first US hardcover appearance was the Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club edition.

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

The book club issue IS effectively the first hardcover here, so the usual "book club versus trade" distinction does not apply; standard book-club markers (no stated first, unpriced jacket, gutter blind stamp) are present on the first hardcover itself.

I have a first edition of Downward to the Earth — 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.