Is My Good Morning, Midnight a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition published by Constable, London, 1939 (standard bibliographic reference Mellown A5a)
• Two bindings occur within the first printing: the earlier issue is in purple cloth; a later issue, bound from remaining sheets during the war years, is in green cloth and lacks endpapers (a blank leaf present at the rear only, none at the front)
• Spine lettered in a contrasting color; issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the front flap)
• Purple cloth has priority over the green

How Constable marked a first edition

• Late 1890s to about 1920 (the modern London Archibald Constable & Co.): firsts typically carry the date on the title page with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings remove the title-page date or add an impressio…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated reprint lines.

Full Constable 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 American 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?

Constable (London) 1939 is the true and only period first; the novel had no American edition until the Harper & Row (New York) 1970 revival that followed Rhys's rediscovery. The 1970 Harper US edition is a separate, much later book, not a co-first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1939 Constable printing was never reprinted, so there is no contemporary book-club issue. Do not conflate the later André Deutsch reset reissue (1960s) or the Harper & Row 1970 US edition — both 'first thus' — with the 1939 first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Good Morning, Midnight a first edition?

A first edition of Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys (Constable) is identified by: First edition published by Constable, London, 1939 (standard bibliographic reference Mellown A5a).

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. Constable (London) 1939 is the true and only period first; the novel had no American edition until the Harper & Row (New York) 1970 revival that followed Rhys's rediscovery.

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

The 1939 Constable printing was never reprinted, so there is no contemporary book-club issue. Do not conflate the later André Deutsch reset reissue (1960s) or the Harper & Row 1970 US edition — both 'first thus' — with the 1939 first.

I have a first edition of Good Morning, Midnight — 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.