Is My Copy of Equus a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First impression is an octavo in original orange cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, in the photographic dust jacket
• André Deutsch house practice is to state "First published 1973 by André Deutsch Limited" on the copyright page and to add an impression line for each subsequent printing — later impressions of 1973 exist and are offered as such (a third impression, still dated 1973, is documented in the trade), so a first impression shows the "First published 1973" line with no added impression statement beneath it
• The same 1973 date on the title page therefore does not by itself establish a first impression, which is the single most common error on this title
• Priced jacket / price present at the flap on unclipped copies
• Dealer listings report the jacket photograph as the Anthony Crickmay image; reported consistently but not independently corroborated in the catalogues consulted

How André Deutsch, London marked a first edition

• First editions state "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year] by André Deutsch Limited" on the copyright page; later printings noted
• First printing = statement present with no subsequent-impression lines

Full André Deutsch, London 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 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?

UK true first: André Deutsch, London, 1973. Equus premiered at the National Theatre (Old Vic) in London in 1973 and the Deutsch hardcover precedes all American issues; it won the 1975 Tony Award only after reaching Broadway. The US edition was not a standalone "Equus." The play's first American book appearance is in the combined volume EQUUS AND SHRIVINGS: TWO PLAYS (Atheneum, New York, 1974) — publisher's grey cloth, red endpapers, collating [6], 211, [1] pp., with production notes documenting the first performance of Equus and with Shrivings then still unperformed. Both editions are collected: the Deutsch 1973 as the true first, the Atheneum 1974 as the first American appearance. A standalone Atheneum "Equus" dated 1974 at 99 pp. is encountered as a book club edition rather than a trade first — do not mistake it for an American trade first of the play alone.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A standalone Atheneum "Equus," New York, 1974, 99 pp. hardcover is catalogued in the trade as a book club edition; the American trade first is the 211-page Equus and Shrivings volume, so a slim 99-page Atheneum Equus should be treated as a club copy pending examination of the board and jacket flap. Specific club tells (blind stamp/deboss, absence of price at the flap, reduced trim) were not itemised by the dealer consulted and are not asserted here. No book-club issue of the Deutsch London edition is documented in the sources reviewed.P-041974

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Equus a first edition?

A first edition of Equus by Peter Shaffer (André Deutsch, London) is identified by: First impression is an octavo in original orange cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, in the photographic dust jacket.

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. UK true first: André Deutsch, London, 1973.

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

A standalone Atheneum "Equus," New York, 1974, 99 pp. hardcover is catalogued in the trade as a book club edition; the American trade first is the 211-page Equus and Shrivings volume, so a slim 99-page Atheneum Equus should be treated as a club copy pending examination of the board and jacket flap. Specific club tells (blind stamp/deboss, absence of price at the flap, reduced trim) were not itemised by the dealer consulted and are not asserted here.

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

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.