Is My Falling Angel a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by the letter line "BCDE" — the absence of the "A" is correct and is the single most important point on this book
• Between 1973 and about 1983 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich dropped the "A" from its letter line and printed "First Edition / BCDE" on first printings; the line reads "CDE" for the second printing, "DE" for the third, and so on, with the "A" only reinstated in late 1982–83
• A copy showing "BCDE" is therefore a first printing, not a fifth — the reverse of the intuitive reading, and the trap that causes genuine firsts to be misdescribed as later printings
• Collation: 243 pages, octavo, with a monochrome frontispiece
• Binding: quarter red cloth spine lettered in gilt and black over paper-covered boards, rear cover lettered in black; dealers describe the board colour variously as pale green, olive, or buff, so board shade alone is not a reliable point
• Jacket: the distinctive metallic gold jacket designed by Stanislaw Zagorski; it should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap

How Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York marked a first edition

• 1973-1983 (HBJ): used a letter code 'BCDE...' (no leading A) plus 'First Edition'.

Full Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York 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 true first is the US edition: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1978 — the census publisher and year are confirmed, as is the book's status as the basis for the 1987 film Angel Heart. The census claim that a UK Century edition "followed much later" is UNCONFIRMED: no Century issue was located in the sources consulted, Wikipedia records no British publication, and at least one dealer copy bears a "New York and London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978" imprint, suggesting HBJ handled any contemporaneous UK distribution itself. Treat the UK-Century assertion as unsupported until a copy is examined. The 1979 paperback release — which is what carried the book to a wide audience — and the later Open Road reissue (ISBN 9781453271131) are "first thus" traps, not firsts.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No distinct Book Club Edition tells are documented for this title in the sources consulted. The practical reprint tells are the letter line itself — "CDE," "DE," or shorter marks a later printing — and the 1979 and subsequent paperback issues. Absence of documentation is not proof no club issue exists; check any copy against the "First Edition / BCDE" statement and the priced gold Zagorski jacket.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Falling Angel a first edition?

A first edition of Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York) is identified by: The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by the letter line "BCDE" — the absence of the "A" is correct and is the single most important point on this book.

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 true first is the US edition: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1978 — the census publisher and year are confirmed, as is the book's status as the basis for the 1987 film Angel Heart.

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

No distinct Book Club Edition tells are documented for this title in the sources consulted. The practical reprint tells are the letter line itself — "CDE," "DE," or shorter marks a later printing — and the 1979 and subsequent paperback issues. Absence of documentation is not proof no club issue exists; check any copy against the "First Edition / BCDE" statement and the priced gold Zagorski jacket.

I have a first edition of Falling Angel — 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.