Is My Hawaii a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the New York: Random House, 1959 trade edition, bound in off-white/cream coarse cloth with the spine lettered in multiple colors and the remaining lettering in black; genealogical map endpapers, 937-plus pages
• Random House firsts of this era are identified by a 'First Printing' / 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page with NO later-printing designation; later printings add a printing count (copies reading 'First Edition, 16th Printing' etc. are reprints)
• A signed limited edition (issued simultaneously, numbered and signed at the colophon/limitation leaf, in slipcase) accompanies the trade issue and is identified by that limitation leaf; dealer counts of the limitation vary (400 vs 500) and are not settled
• Note: a widely repeated 'upside-down endpaper map' point could NOT be confirmed in any genuine dealer catalogue (it surfaced only in AI search summaries) and is treated as unverified/likely spurious

How Random House marked a first edition

• Stated-edition era (c.1936–1975): trade first printings are plainly marked with the words 'First Edition' (or, on some earlier titles, 'First Printing') on the copyright page, with NO number line yet in use; a copyright…
• Divisional practice — share the STATEMENT, not the '2'-line: sister divisions state 'First Edition' as their firsts (Alfred A. Knopf consistently since 1933–34; Pantheon since 1964), so the words work across the family.…

Full Random House 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?

US Random House (New York) 1959 is the true first; the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed in 1960. The census precedence claim is correct.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-of-the-Month Club and other reprints exist; club copies typically lack the copyright-page 'First Printing' statement, may show a blind-stamp or dot on the rear board, and carry a jacket with no price at the flap. Later Random House printings are stated as such on the copyright page.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Hawaii a first edition?

A first edition of Hawaii by James A. Michener (Random House) is identified by: True first is the New York: Random House, 1959 trade edition, bound in off-white/cream coarse cloth with the spine lettered in multiple colors and the remaining lettering in black; genealogical map endpapers, 937-plus pages.

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. US Random House (New York) 1959 is the true first; the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed in 1960.

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

Book-of-the-Month Club and other reprints exist; club copies typically lack the copyright-page 'First Printing' statement, may show a blind-stamp or dot on the rear board, and carry a jacket with no price at the flap. Later Random House printings are stated as such on the copyright page.

I have a first edition of Hawaii — 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.