Is My Looking for Alaska a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The copyright page of the Dutton hardcover states "First Edition," but that statement is NOT the point of issue — dealers routinely report ninth- and twelfth-printing copies that still carry the "First Edition" line (one documented twelfth printing reads "First Edition" above a number line beginning 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12)
• The operative test is the number line: a true first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1; any line whose lowest digit is 2 or higher is a later printing of the first edition
• Octavo, 221 pages, ISBN 0-525-47506-4
• Priced jacket, unclipped, price present at the flap
• Dating check on the jacket: the book was published in March 2005 and the Michael L. Printz Award was announced in January 2006, so first-printing jackets cannot carry the award medal as part of the printed jacket artwork — jackets with the Printz medal integrated into the design are a later jacket state
• An applied stick-on gold seal proves nothing, since a seal can be affixed to any copy

How Dutton Books marked a first edition

• Historic E.P. Dutton (founded 1852): first printings often identified by the absence of later-printing statements; many mid-century titles state 'First Edition' or 'First Printing'.
• Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.

Full Dutton Books 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. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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 census claim is confirmed. Dutton Books, New York, March 2005 is the true first edition of Green's debut. HarperCollins Children's Books (London) published the first UK edition in 2006 (reported July 2006); it is collected only as the first British edition and has no precedence. Green writes in English, so no original-language question arises. First-thus traps: the Dutton Special 10th Anniversary Edition (2015) and the Dutton Deluxe Edition are new editions, not first editions.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No dedicated book-club issue is documented for this title. The recurring traps are (1) later Dutton printings that retain the "First Edition" statement — identify by number line only; (2) Speak trade-paperback reprints from 2006 onward (Speak is Penguin's paperback imprint); (3) the 2015 10th Anniversary and Deluxe editions; and (4) Dutton advance reading copies/proofs, which precede publication but are not the first edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Looking for Alaska a first edition?

A first edition of Looking for Alaska by John Green (Dutton Books) is identified by: The copyright page of the Dutton hardcover states "First Edition," but that statement is NOT the point of issue — dealers routinely report ninth- and twelfth-printing copies that still carry the "First Edition" line (one documented twelfth printing reads "First Edition" above a number line beginning 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12).

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

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The census claim is confirmed.

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

No dedicated book-club issue is documented for this title. The recurring traps are (1) later Dutton printings that retain the "First Edition" statement — identify by number line only; (2) Speak trade-paperback reprints from 2006 onward (Speak is Penguin's paperback imprint); (3) the 2015 10th Anniversary and Deluxe editions; and (4) Dutton advance reading copies/proofs, which precede publication but are not the first edition.

I have a first edition of Looking for Alaska — 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.