Is My Just William a First Edition?

The points of issue

• London: George Newnes, Limited, published May 1922
• The title page carries no date — auction and dealer records catalogue the first as "[n.d. but circa 1922]" — and the first impression bears no impression or reprint statement anywhere in the book
• Small 8vo in publisher's red cloth lettered in black, 248 pages, with line drawings by Thomas Henry, and 4 pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear (the adverts are treated as requisite)
• Because the book itself is unstated and undated, jacketless copies are hard to place with certainty; the jacket is the decisive evidence, since Newnes printed the impression on the jacket front from the second impression onward — a Newnes jacket for this title dated 1933 is marked "26th printing." The author's first book and the first appearance of William Brown (and Jumble)

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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?

The UK Newnes 1922 edition is the true first worldwide; no contemporaneous US edition competes for precedence, so there is no UK-vs-US question here. The stories had appeared in magazine form before collection, but the Newnes volume is the first book appearance. Later Collins, Armada, Merlin and Macmillan issues are reprints and carry no first-edition standing; do not accept them as "first thus."

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Newnes reprinted at speed — second impression October 1922, third January 1923, fourth February 1923, fifth May 1923 — in cloth essentially identical to the first, which is why reprints are routinely offered as firsts. The impression number appears on the jacket front from the second impression onward, so a jacketless red-cloth copy cannot be confirmed as a first on binding alone. No book-club issue of the 1922 first is documented in the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Just William a first edition?

A first edition of Just William by Richmal Crompton (George Newnes, Limited) is identified by: London: George Newnes, Limited, published May 1922.

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 UK Newnes 1922 edition is the true first worldwide; no contemporaneous US edition competes for precedence, so there is no UK-vs-US question here.

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

Newnes reprinted at speed — second impression October 1922, third January 1923, fourth February 1923, fifth May 1923 — in cloth essentially identical to the first, which is why reprints are routinely offered as firsts. The impression number appears on the jacket front from the second impression onward, so a jacketless red-cloth copy cannot be confirmed as a first on binding alone. No book-club issue of the 1922 first is documented in the sources consulted.

I have a first edition of Just William — 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.