Is My Copy of Love and Rockets, Vol. 1 (Music for Mechanics) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First collected edition, Fantagraphics, October 1985, an oversized softcover trade paperback collecting Love and Rockets (1982 magazine series) issues 1 and 2
• The original 1985 edition was titled simply Music for Mechanics (also styled Love and Rockets: Book 1); the 'Vol. 1' numbering belongs to the later reissue program
• A first printing carries no later-printing statement on the indicia/copyright page; a December 1986 second printing followed and is noted as such

How Fantagraphics Books marked a first edition

• Book-format collections follow standard book-trade conventions: the copyright page carries a 'First printing' or 'First edition' statement with month and year (e.g. 'First printing: September 2019').
• Subsequent printings update the statement to 'Second printing,' etc.; the absence of any higher-printing statement, together with the original stated month, is the first-printing tell.

Full Fantagraphics 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 indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the world true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

The self-published Love and Rockets number 1 (1981) and the Fantagraphics Love and Rockets magazine number 1 (1982) are the true first appearances and the key collectibles. The 1985 book is the first trade collection of that material.P-010409

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. The original 1982 Fantagraphics Love and Rockets number 1 is the key issue and exists in many printings, distinguished by printing notes in the indicia.P-010410

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Love and Rockets, Vol. 1 (Music for Mechanics) a first edition?

A first edition of Love and Rockets, Vol. 1 (Music for Mechanics) by Gilbert, Jaime & Mario Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books) is identified by: First collected edition, Fantagraphics, October 1985, an oversized softcover trade paperback collecting Love and Rockets (1982 magazine series) issues 1 and 2.

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

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. The self-published Love and Rockets number 1 (1981) and the Fantagraphics Love and Rockets magazine number 1 (1982) are the true first appearances and the key collectibles.

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

No book-club edition. The original 1982 Fantagraphics Love and Rockets number 1 is the key issue and exists in many printings, distinguished by printing notes in the indicia.

I have a first edition of Love and Rockets, Vol. 1 (Music for Mechanics) — 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.