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First-Edition Identification · Truman Capote

Is My Local Color a First Edition?

Random House, 1950

The points of issue

"FIRST PRINTING" stated on the copyright page; a collection of illustrated travel impressions with photographs by Cecil Beaton, Cartier-Bresson and others. First-issue jacket priced on the front flap.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Random House first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

US first edition; first appearance in book form of this nonfiction collection.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Printings lacking the stated "FIRST PRINTING" are not the true first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Local Color a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: "FIRST PRINTING" stated on the copyright page; a collection of illustrated travel impressions with photographs by Cecil Beaton, Cartier-Bresson and others. First-issue jacket priced on the front flap.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US first edition; first appearance in book form of this nonfiction collection.

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

Printings lacking the stated "FIRST PRINTING" are not the true first.

I have a first edition of Local Color — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

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