Is My Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing carries no printing or issue statement on the title-page verso
• Copies bearing a "thousand" statement on the title-page verso (e.g. "Fifth Thousand") are later printings within the same 1903 setting, and that statement is the single most reliable tell for separating a first printing from the reprints Constable ran through the year
• Collation is xxxvii, 244 pp., issued in publisher's green (often described as olive-green) cloth, spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt
• A publisher's catalogue of works by the same author is bound in at the rear, but its extent varies between copies (4 pp. in some, 16 pp. in others) and dealer descriptions do not establish a proven priority between them, so the catalogue should not be relied on as an issue point
• Published August 1903

How Archibald Constable & Co., Westminster marked a first edition

• Late 1890s to about 1920 (the modern London Archibald Constable & Co.): firsts typically carry the date on the title page with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings remove the title-page date or add an impressio…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated reprint lines.

Full Archibald Constable & Co., Westminster 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 American 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 London/Westminster edition (Archibald Constable & Co., 1903) is the true first; both editions are collected. The first American edition was published by Brentano's, New York, in May 1904 and follows the English edition by roughly nine months, so no US precedence trap exists here — the census claim is correct as stated. Later Constable collected-set appearances (Standard Edition and subsequent series) are first-thus reprints, not the first edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue documented for the 1903 edition. Reprint tells: any "thousand" statement on the title-page verso; Brentano's New York printings of 1904 and later; and appearances within Constable's collected/Standard Edition sets, all of which post-date the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy a first edition?

A first edition of Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by George Bernard Shaw (Archibald Constable & Co., Westminster) is identified by: First printing carries no printing or issue statement on the title-page verso.

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. The London/Westminster edition (Archibald Constable & Co., 1903) is the true first; both editions are collected.

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

No book-club issue documented for the 1903 edition. Reprint tells: any "thousand" statement on the title-page verso; Brentano's New York printings of 1904 and later; and appearances within Constable's collected/Standard Edition sets, all of which post-date the first.

I have a first edition of Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy — 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.