Is My En attendant Godot a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true world first of the play, in French, in publisher's printed wrappers (Les Éditions de Minuit, 1952)
• A limited issue of 35 numbered large-paper copies on vélin supérieur — the only large-paper copies — precedes the trade run in wrappers (about 2,500 copies)
• The first printing carries the achevé d'imprimer dated 17 September 1952, so the book precedes the stage premiere at the Théâtre de Babylone on 5 January 1953
• Confirm by the printed wrappers, the justification / limitation leaf, and the 1952 colophon; the fragile Minuit wrappers make clean, unopened copies genuinely scarce

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 UK 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?

This Minuit French first precedes every English-language edition and is the absolute true first of the play. The 35 numbered copies on vélin supérieur are the premium large-paper state; the roughly 2,500-copy trade in wrappers is the standard first. The English editions are later self-translations and are collected in their own right: Grove Press (New York, 1954) is the first edition in English, and Faber & Faber (London, 1956, printing the text expurgated for the Lord Chamberlain) is the first UK edition — neither is the true first.P-037247

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. Later Minuit printings are distinguished by their later achevé d'imprimer; confirm the first by the printed wrappers, the justification leaf, and the 17 September 1952 colophon.P-037248

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of En attendant Godot a first edition?

A first edition of En attendant Godot by Samuel Beckett (Les Éditions de Minuit) is identified by: The true world first of the play, in French, in publisher's printed wrappers (Les Éditions de Minuit, 1952).

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. This Minuit French first precedes every English-language edition and is the absolute true first of the play.

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

No book-club edition. Later Minuit printings are distinguished by their later achevé d'imprimer; confirm the first by the printed wrappers, the justification leaf, and the 17 September 1952 colophon.

I have a first edition of En attendant Godot — 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.