Is My Georgia O'Keeffe a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The 1976 Viking Press first edition carries the series designation A Studio Book and the copyright statement First published in 1976 by The Viking Press, New York; the artist's autobiographical monograph reproduces 108 color plates (including a folding gatefold plate) and was printed in Japan
• Two forms were issued the same year: a deluxe signed limited edition of 175 numbered copies for sale (plus 25 hors-commerce copies numbered I to XXV), bound in heavy black woven linen with the title and O'Keeffe's signature blindstamped on the spine and front board, housed in a matching black cloth slipcase and accompanied by a separate card portfolio of full-size color prints; and the standard trade edition in natural (tan) cloth issued in a pictorial dust wrapper
• Presence of the plain First published in 1976 statement without any later-printing dates is the key first-printing point

How Viking marked a first edition

• Earliest era (1925 to roughly 1937): Viking used no first-edition statement and instead noted later printings; treat the absence of any later-printing notice, with the title-page/copyright dates matching, as the first.
• From about 1937 onward: first printings state "First published by The Viking Press in [year]" or "Published by The Viking Press in [year]" with no later-printing notice; later printings were noted, and from the 1980s a n…

Full Viking 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 Viking Press US edition of 1976 is the true first, issued in a signed/numbered limited state (200 copies total) in black linen with slipcase and print portfolio, and a concurrent trade issue in natural cloth with dust wrapper.P-010285

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Counter-intuitive: a number line on a 1980s Viking usually signals a later printing, not a first. Use the points above to be certain, and note that the dust-wrappered natural-cloth trade issue is distinct from the blindstamped black-linen signed limited in its slipcase.P-010286

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Georgia O'Keeffe a first edition?

A first edition of Georgia O'Keeffe by Georgia O'Keeffe (Viking) is identified by: The 1976 Viking Press first edition carries the series designation A Studio Book and the copyright statement First published in 1976 by The Viking Press, New York; the artist's autobiographical monograph reproduces 108 color plates (including a folding gatefold plate) and was printed in Japan.

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 Viking Press US edition of 1976 is the true first, issued in a signed/numbered limited state (200 copies total) in black linen with slipcase and print portfolio, and a concurrent trade issue in natural cloth with dust wrapper.

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

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Counter-intuitive: a number line on a 1980s Viking usually signals a later printing, not a first. Use the points above to be certain, and note that the dust-wrappered natural-cloth trade issue is distinct from the blindstamped black-linen signed limited in its slipcase.

I have a first edition of Georgia O'Keeffe — 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.