Is My Intruder in the Dust a First Edition?

The points of issue

• "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page
• Random House's practice in this period was to state the first printing and remove the statement thereafter, so an unstated 1948 copy is a later printing
• Octavo, approximately 20.75 cm
• Bound in smooth black cloth with the titles and rules stamped in gilt and blue on the spine and front cover, with a blue topstain; the title page is printed in blue and black
• The jacket was designed by E. McKnight Kauffer and is the most-cited external point of the book
• Priced jacket, with the price present at the front flap

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 UK 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?

Census claim confirmed. The true first is Random House, New York, 1948. The first UK edition is Chatto & Windus, London, 1949 — collected as the English first, but it follows the American issue by a year and does not precede. No original-language question arises: Faulkner wrote in English and the American issue is the first appearance.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No specific book-club issue of Intruder in the Dust was documented in the sources consulted; the stated "First Printing" is the decisive test and no later printing carries it. Book-club copies of this period are conventionally identified by a blind-stamped indent on the rear board and a jacket with no price at the flap, but that is a general-practice screen here rather than a documented point for this title. The 1949 MGM film tie-in printings and later Random House printings are the routine confusions.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Intruder in the Dust a first edition?

A first edition of Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner (Random House) is identified by: "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page.

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. Census claim confirmed.

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

No specific book-club issue of Intruder in the Dust was documented in the sources consulted; the stated "First Printing" is the decisive test and no later printing carries it. Book-club copies of this period are conventionally identified by a blind-stamped indent on the rear board and a jacket with no price at the flap, but that is a general-practice screen here rather than a documented point for this title. The 1949 MGM film tie-in printings and later Random House printings are the routine conf

I have a first edition of Intruder in the Dust — 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.