Is My Copy of Infinite Jest a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing: the copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1
• Bound in quarter blue cloth over blue paper-covered boards with the spine stamped in silver
• The first-issue dust jacket (Steve Snider's blue sky-and-clouds design) is a priced, unclipped jacket with the printed price present at the front flap; on the rear panel the last of the review blurbs misspells William Vollmann as 'Vollman' — a noted feature of the first-edition jacket
• Later printings drop the '1' from the number line and omit the 'First Edition' statement

How Little, Brown and Company marked a first edition

• From 1940 onward: Little, Brown adopted an explicit statement, printing 'First Edition' OR 'First Printing' on the copyright page of a first printing. Presence of that phrase, with no overriding later-printing line…
• Late 1970s onward: Little, Brown added a descending number line to the copyright page. Per the trade-house standard, the first printing is present only when the line still contains a '1' (e.g., '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1')…

Full Little, Brown and Company 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 Little, Brown (Boston) 1996 first printing is the true first; the UK Abacus edition (1997) follows (US precedes UK). The advance state is the 'Special Galleys' uncorrected proof, issued in pictorial wrappers that reproduce the published sky-and-clouds cover with 'Special Galleys Signed by the Author' printed at the foot; roughly 1,000 were signed by Wallace (often with a small smiley-face) and it is separately collected — it is NOT a 'green' proof. Wallace signatures are heavily forged, so provenance matters on any signed copy.P-036571

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Printing state is told by the number line: a line no longer ending in '1' (and the absence of the stated 'First Edition') indicates a later printing. The jacket art is unchanged across printings, so it does not distinguish states — use the copyright page. Any later book-club or reprint issue will be unpriced and will lack the full number line.P-036572

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Infinite Jest a first edition?

A first edition of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Little, Brown and Company) is identified by: First printing: the copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1.

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 Little, Brown (Boston) 1996 first printing is the true first; the UK Abacus edition (1997) follows (US precedes UK).

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

Printing state is told by the number line: a line no longer ending in '1' (and the absence of the stated 'First Edition') indicates a later printing. The jacket art is unchanged across printings, so it does not distinguish states — use the copyright page. Any later book-club or reprint issue will be unpriced and will lack the full number line.

I have a first edition of Infinite Jest — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.