Is My Copy of Garden of Shadows a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Published by Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint) in 1987 as the true first-edition hardcover with dust jacket (ISBN 0-671-64259-6)
• Pocket Books issued the Book Club Edition and the later mass-market paperback — neither is the true first

How Poseidon Press marked a first edition

• Poseidon was a Simon & Schuster imprint and follows S&S copyright-page practice: from 1981 onward S&S imprints identify the printing by a number line, not by a spelled-out 'First Edition' slug. Poseidon books generally…
• In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the…

Full Poseidon Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
3. 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.
4. 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 Poseidon Press 1987 hardcover is the true first edition. A Pocket Books hardcover exists but is the Book Club Edition (BCE); Pocket Books also published the mass-market paperback. Identify the first by the Poseidon Press imprint, a complete number line, and no book-club gutter code or blind-stamp.P-037408

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club edition is a separate 1987 Pocket hardcover carrying a blind gilt stamp on the rear board and lacking the publisher's first-printing statement; distinguish it from the trade first.P-032060

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Garden of Shadows a first edition?

A first edition of Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews (Poseidon Press) is identified by: Published by Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint) in 1987 as the true first-edition hardcover with dust jacket (ISBN 0-671-64259-6).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The Poseidon Press 1987 hardcover is the true first edition.

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

Book club edition is a separate 1987 Pocket hardcover carrying a blind gilt stamp on the rear board and lacking the publisher's first-printing statement; distinguish it from the trade first.

I have a first edition of Garden of Shadows — 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.