The points of issue
Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch to front). Copyright page states First Edition with the Borzoi colophon. First-state dust jacket present. Illustrated.
Is this the true first?
US Alfred A. Knopf (New York), a Borzoi book distributed by Random House, 1994, is the true first. Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Knopf first printing states First Edition with the Borzoi device; book-club issues omit the First Edition statement and the jacket price and often carry a blind-stamp to the rear board.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Gulag Archipelago — instead: The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch to front). Copyright page states First Edition with the Borzoi colophon. First-state dust jacket present. Illustrated.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Alfred A. Knopf (New York), a Borzoi book distributed by Random House, 1994, is the true first. Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Knopf first printing states First Edition with the Borzoi device; book-club issues omit the First Edition statement and the jacket price and often carry a blind-stamp to the rear board.
I have a first edition of Gulag Archipelago — instead: The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.