Is My Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Viking Press (New York), 1983 (ISBN 0-670-70390-7), octavo, roughly 168 pages
• The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the statement 'First published in 1983 by The Viking Press' with no subsequent-printing notice; the first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap, unclipped

How The Viking Press marked a first edition

• From about 1937 onward: first printings state "First published by The Viking Press in [year]" or "Published by The Viking Press in [year]" with no later-printing notice; later printings were noted, and from the 1980s a n…

Full The Viking Press 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?

US Viking Press (New York), 1983, is the true first; published November 1983. This is a collection of essays that first appeared largely in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Per Viking's practice of this period a descending number row was added only to later printings, so a true first should show the 'First published in 1983' statement rather than a number line; book-club issues additionally lack the printed jacket price and use lighter boards.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony a first edition?

A first edition of Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony by Lewis Thomas (The Viking Press) is identified by: US Viking Press (New York), 1983 (ISBN 0-670-70390-7), octavo, roughly 168 pages.

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. US Viking Press (New York), 1983, is the true first; published November 1983.

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

Per Viking's practice of this period a descending number row was added only to later printings, so a true first should show the 'First published in 1983' statement rather than a number line; book-club issues additionally lack the printed jacket price and use lighter boards.

I have a first edition of Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony — 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.