Is My Horns a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing is the William Morrow (New York) hardcover of 2010, ISBN 0061147958 / 9780061147951, 370 pp
• Two points must be present together on the copyright page: a stated "First Edition" and a complete descending number line running to 1; dealers describe first printings as "stated first edition, first printing" with the full number line intact
• The jacket should be a priced jacket, with the price present at the front flap and not clipped
• No first-state text error, binding variant, or jacket variant is documented for this title, so the edition statement plus the number line are the whole of the identification

How William Morrow, New York marked a first edition

• 1922–c.1962 (Harper & Brothers, stated-first era): from 1922 Harper & Brothers began printing the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page. IMPORTANT: the letter printing code did NOT stop in 1922 — it continued to ap…
• Reading the year code (the central trap): the year sequence begins M=1912 and runs forward through the alphabet — M=1912, N=1913, O=1914 … Z=1925, A=1926, B=1927 … L=1936. In 1937 the alphabet is RECYCLED: it restarts at…

Full William Morrow, New York 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. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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 US William Morrow hardcover (New York, February 2010) is the true first and is what dealer catalogues uniformly treat as the first edition. The census claim of a simultaneous UK issue is REFUTED by the dates found: the Gollancz (London) hardcover, ISBN 0575079169 / 9780575079168, is dated 16 March 2010 — roughly a month after Morrow — so it follows rather than accompanies the US issue. The Gollancz hardcover is nonetheless collected as the first UK edition; its copyright page carries a number line containing 1 (reported by one dealer as 1357108642, by another as "the numbers 1-10 present"). Both the Morrow and the Gollancz hardcovers are collected; the Morrow has precedence.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No US book-club issue is documented for Horns. Reprint tells are the absence of the "First Edition" statement and/or a number line that no longer runs to 1. The 2011 William Morrow paperback and the Gollancz trade paperback (2 June 2011, ISBN 9780575099999) are later formats, not firsts, and the Daniel Radcliffe film tie-in issues are later still — "first thus" at best.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Horns a first edition?

A first edition of Horns by Joe Hill (William Morrow, New York) is identified by: The first printing is the William Morrow (New York) hardcover of 2010, ISBN 0061147958 / 9780061147951, 370 pp.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US William Morrow hardcover (New York, February 2010) is the true first and is what dealer catalogues uniformly treat as the first edition.

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

No US book-club issue is documented for Horns. Reprint tells are the absence of the "First Edition" statement and/or a number line that no longer runs to 1. The 2011 William Morrow paperback and the Gollancz trade paperback (2 June 2011, ISBN 9780575099999) are later formats, not firsts, and the Daniel Radcliffe film tie-in issues are later still — "first thus" at best.

I have a first edition of Horns — 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.