Is My Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London, 1922
• The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'Published July, 1922' with no later printings listed (Funk & Wagnalls' dated-printing convention)
• Thick octavo, 627 pp including the index, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographic plates, in original blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine and front board
• Corroborated by two independent dealer descriptions (Ernestoic Books via AbeBooks; biblio.com); a reproduced Emily Post inscription notes the first edition is 'stained blue at the top,' consistent with a blue-stained top edge, though top-edge treatment is not consistently reported

How Funk & Wagnalls Company marked a first edition

• 1877-c.1929: first editions carry no later-printing statement; occasionally a 'Published [month, year]' line appears on the copyright page. Identify a first by the absence of any later-printing notice.
• c.1929-c.1965: first editions state 'First published [month, year]' and show a Roman numeral 'I' (or Arabic '1') on the copyright page; later printings increment the numeral (II, III, ... / 2, 3, ...). The 'First publish…

Full Funk & Wagnalls Company 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?

US first (Funk & Wagnalls, 1922) is the true first and the collected edition; it was issued jointly under the New York and London imprint in 1922, so there is no separate UK or original-language precedence issue.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book was revised and reset repeatedly, each later printing stating a later 'Published...' month/year on the copyright page. The 1969 'Replica Edition' reproduces the 1922 text and is a modern facsimile, not the first; any copy dated later than 'Published July, 1922' is a reprint.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home a first edition?

A first edition of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home by Emily Post (Funk & Wagnalls Company) is identified by: True first: Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London, 1922.

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. US first (Funk & Wagnalls, 1922) is the true first and the collected edition; it was issued jointly under the New York and London imprint in 1922, so there is no separate UK or original-language precedence issue.

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

The book was revised and reset repeatedly, each later printing stating a later 'Published...' month/year on the copyright page. The 1969 'Replica Edition' reproduces the 1922 text and is a modern facsimile, not the first; any copy dated later than 'Published July, 1922' is a reprint.

I have a first edition of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home — 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.