The points of issue
Copyright page states 'Published in 1959 by The Viking Press' with no statement of a later printing. First issue has a yellow top-stain (top edge stained yellow), beige quarter linen spine with orange cloth boards. First-issue dust jacket (illustrated by Bill Preston) carries the printed price on the front flap and three blurbs about Saul Bellow as a novelist on the rear panel.
Is this the true first?
US Viking is the true first, preceding the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition of 1959.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and comes in a price-clipped or unpriced jacket; it lacks the first-issue jacket points.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Henderson the Rain King a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Copyright page states 'Published in 1959 by The Viking Press' with no statement of a later printing. First issue has a yellow top-stain (top edge stained yellow), beige quarter linen spine with orange cloth boards. First-issue dust jacket (illustrated by Bill Preston) carries the printed price on the front flap and three blurbs about Saul Bellow as a novelist on the rear panel.
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 Viking is the true first, preceding the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition of 1959.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club issue is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and comes in a price-clipped or unpriced jacket; it lacks the first-issue jacket points.
I have a first edition of Henderson the Rain King — 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.