Is My Copy of Knight's Gambit a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Random House, New York, 1949
• 8vo, [6], 246 pp; publisher's red cloth, spine and front board stamped in gilt over black; in the pictorial dust jacket designed by E. McKnight Kauffer, with the price present at the front flap (a priced jacket is the wanted state)
• The first printing carries NO edition or printing statement on the copyright page — dealers phrase it as "no statement of edition or printing on copyright page (correct identification for this issue)" and "first printing does not appear on verso of the title page"; later printings are stated there
• Note that this differs from the earlier Random House Faulkners of the 1930s, which do state "FIRST PRINTING" — do not apply that test here
• UNSETTLED POINT: dealers disagree on the top-edge stain
• The majority describe blue or gray-blue; one reference describes black and another green

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…

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 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 Random House, New York, 1949 is the true first. Chatto & Windus, London, 1951 is the first English edition and is separately collected: publisher's blue cloth, gilt lettering to the spine, blue top edge, in a dust jacket by Lynton Lamb. One UK dealer records that the Chatto edition went to a second impression in May 1951 with the first impression appearing the previous month, so on a UK copy the impression statement should be checked — the 1951 date alone does not guarantee a first impression. Six Gavin Stevens stories; five had appeared in periodicals and the title story appears here for the first time.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted for this title; the club tells sometimes asserted for mid-century Faulkner (blind stamp to the rear board, unpriced jacket, reduced trim) are not attested for Knight's Gambit in any source checked. The documented reprint tell is the copyright page: later printings are stated, the first is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Knight's Gambit a first edition?

A first edition of Knight's Gambit by William Faulkner (Random House) is identified by: Random House, New York, 1949.

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 Random House, New York, 1949 is the true first.

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

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted for this title; the club tells sometimes asserted for mid-century Faulkner (blind stamp to the rear board, unpriced jacket, reduced trim) are not attested for Knight's Gambit in any source checked. The documented reprint tell is the copyright page: later printings are stated, the first is not.

I have a first edition of Knight's Gambit — 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.