Is My Copy of Fences a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition is the Plume trade-paperback original, 1986 (New American Library / Dutton), with an introduction by Lloyd Richards
• There is no trade hardcover first edition
• The first printing is identified by the lowest number in the printing line and the absence of any later-printing statement
• Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award

How Plume marked a first edition

• Trade-paperback convention: the first Plume printing states "First Plume Printing" (often with a year) and/or carries a number line whose lowest digit is 1.
• The number line is the tell for the printing; treat the lowest digit as decisive.

Full Plume 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. 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.
5. 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 Plume wrappers original is the true first edition. A hardcover exists, but it is a Book-of-the-Month / book-club issue that followed the paperback original and is not the first edition; the paperback original has precedence.P-002595

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A book-club hardcover is sometimes mistaken for a 'first.' It is identified by a blind-stamp or dot on the rear board and the absence of a priced trade dust jacket, and it postdates the paperback original. The true first is the Plume wrappers with the first-printing number line.P-002596

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Fences a first edition?

A first edition of Fences by August Wilson (Plume) is identified by: First edition is the Plume trade-paperback original, 1986 (New American Library / Dutton), with an introduction by Lloyd Richards.

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 Plume wrappers original is the true first edition.

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

A book-club hardcover is sometimes mistaken for a 'first.' It is identified by a blind-stamp or dot on the rear board and the absence of a priced trade dust jacket, and it postdates the paperback original. The true first is the Plume wrappers with the first-printing number line.

I have a first edition of Fences — 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.