Is My Jack of Shadows a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Walker & Company first hardcover, New York, 1971 (collating [iv]207[3] pp.); the author's first hardcover book appearance of this novel following its serialization in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, whose text differs slightly
• Bound in white boards with the title and author lettered in black on the spine
• The first-issue dust jacket bears cover art by Judith Loeser and should retain its printed price on the flap

How Walker marked a first edition

• British convention: a first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in 1 (commonly '2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1' or '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest digit present is the printing

Full Walker first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 Walker & Company first hardcover is the true first (first hardcover book appearance); the UK Faber edition (1972) follows. The F&SF serialization precedes book form but differs slightly in text.P-028211

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists, distributed from the Walker sheets (first club printing September 1971, SFBC catalogue number 3438, gutter code 33M); like other club printings it is more cheaply bound and its jacket omits the printed price, whereas the Walker trade first retains its printed price on the flap.P-028212

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Jack of Shadows a first edition?

A first edition of Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny (Walker) is identified by: Walker & Company first hardcover, New York, 1971 (collating [iv]207[3] pp.); the author's first hardcover book appearance of this novel following its serialization in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, whose text differs slightly.

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. The US Walker & Company first hardcover is the true first (first hardcover book appearance); the UK Faber edition (1972) follows.

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

A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists, distributed from the Walker sheets (first club printing September 1971, SFBC catalogue number 3438, gutter code 33M); like other club printings it is more cheaply bound and its jacket omits the printed price, whereas the Walker trade first retains its printed price on the flap.

I have a first edition of Jack of Shadows — 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.