Is My Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930"
• Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-xi [xii] 1-355 [356: printer's imprint]; bound in dark blue cloth with the front panel stamped in blind and the spine panel stamped in gold
• Currey's first-edition, first-impression collation adds an 8-page publisher's catalogue dated "630" inserted at the rear; not every recorded copy is described with it, so treat the dated catalogue as strongly corroborating rather than decisive
• The jacket is yellow-orange printed and is scarce; price present at the flap
• Because a bare "First Published in 1930" line can stand on a later Methuen impression beneath an added reprint line, read the whole copyright block rather than the first line alone

How Methuen & Co. Ltd. marked a first edition

• Since 1905: state "First published in [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page of firsts, with later printings noted

Full Methuen & Co. Ltd. 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 British 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?

Methuen, London, 1930 is the true first — census confirmed. Stapledon was British and no earlier original-language edition exists. The first American edition is Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, New York, 1931, with "First Published in America 1931" on the copyright page and an author's "Foreword to the American Edition" unique to it; it is collected in its own right but is not the first. The US edition also has a binding sequence worth knowing: the first binding is purple cloth with the panels ruled in blind, spine stamped in gold, top edge stained and fore/bottom edges rough trimmed; a later binding is tan cloth with the spine stamped in black. Where both editions are collected, name them as first (Methuen 1930) and first US (Cape & Harrison Smith 1931, first binding purple cloth).

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue of the Methuen printing is documented in the sources consulted. The reprint tells are later Methuen impressions — distinguish them by the full copyright block and by the absence of the rear catalogue dated "630" — and the many later omnibus reprints that pair the novel with Star Maker (e.g. the 1968 Dover volume), all of which carry their own imprints and dates on the title page. Do not confuse the US first's "Foreword to the American Edition" with a later-edition addition: it is original to the 1931 Cape & Harrison Smith issue.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future a first edition?

A first edition of Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future by Olaf Stapledon (Methuen & Co. Ltd.) is identified by: Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930".

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. Methuen, London, 1930 is the true first — census confirmed.

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

No book-club issue of the Methuen printing is documented in the sources consulted. The reprint tells are later Methuen impressions — distinguish them by the full copyright block and by the absence of the rear catalogue dated "630" — and the many later omnibus reprints that pair the novel with Star Maker (e.g. the 1968 Dover volume), all of which carry their own imprints and dates on the title page. Do not confuse the US first's "Foreword to the American Edition" with a later-edition addition: it

I have a first edition of Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future — 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.