Is My From Doon with Death a First Edition?

The points of issue

• John Long (Hutchinson group) first, 1964; publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt; first-issue dust jacket designed by William Randell and with its printed price on the front flap (unclipped)
• Copyright page carries a single first-published statement with no later impression line

How John Long marked a first edition

• Late 1880s to about 1920: many firsts of this era carry no printing statement at all, so dating relies on the title-page date and on dated rear advertisement catalogs; later printings note reprints. Number lines do not a…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' or 'First published in Great Britain (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated 'Reprinted' or 'New impression'…

Full John Long first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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?

UK John Long (1964) is the true first; the US Doubleday edition (1965) followed. Rendell's debut novel and the first Inspector Wexford book. Many copies went into UK lending libraries, so unmarked copies in jacket are genuinely scarce.P-028556

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later John Long impressions add a printing statement; price-clipped jackets lose the original the printed price flap price. The US Doubleday first is later.P-028557

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of From Doon with Death a first edition?

A first edition of From Doon with Death by Ruth Rendell (John Long) is identified by: John Long (Hutchinson group) first, 1964; publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt; first-issue dust jacket designed by William Randell and with its printed price on the front flap (unclipped).

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 John Long (1964) is the true first; the US Doubleday edition (1965) followed.

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

Later John Long impressions add a printing statement; price-clipped jackets lose the original the printed price flap price. The US Doubleday first is later.

I have a first edition of From Doon with Death — 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.