Is My Marathon Man a First Edition?

The points of issue

• "First printing" is stated on the copyright page of the true first, with no reference to any later printing
• The book collates 309 pages, bound in black cloth lettered on the spine in silver and neon violet, with a red top-stain
• The jacket was designed by Paul Bacon and is predominantly red; the rear panel carries a photograph of Goldman with the ISBN at the lower right and no review blurbs — later jackets add review matter
• The jacket should be priced at the front flap (price present, not clipped)
• An advance uncorrected proof of the first edition exists and precedes the trade issue

How Delacorte Press marked a first edition

• "First printing" or "First Edition" stated on the copyright page, frequently paired with a number line ending in 1
• Vonnegut-era Delacorte / Seymour Lawrence books: look for an explicit "First printing" statement on the copyright page (e.g. Slaughterhouse-Five is a stated first printing)

Full Delacorte 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 Delacorte Press (New York, 1974) is the true first — this part of the census claim is confirmed — but the census note's UK year is wrong and is corrected here. The first UK edition is Macmillan (London, 1975), a year after Delacorte, not a 1974 simultaneous, under a jacket designed by Stan Fernandes. The Macmillan issue is separately collected as the first British edition. Later Ballantine and other trade reissues are first-thus, not firsts.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club-specific point is documented for this title in the sources consulted. US club copies of Delacorte titles of this period are identified in the usual way — no price at the jacket flap and a blind-stamped square or dot on the rear board, with lighter bulk and lower-grade paper than the trade book. Note that a previous owner's personal blindstamp at the half title is a provenance mark, not a club tell, and should not be confused with one.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Marathon Man a first edition?

A first edition of Marathon Man by William Goldman (Delacorte Press) is identified by: "First printing" is stated on the copyright page of the true first, with no reference to any later printing.

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 Delacorte Press (New York, 1974) is the true first — this part of the census claim is confirmed — but the census note's UK year is wrong and is corrected here.

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

No book-club-specific point is documented for this title in the sources consulted. US club copies of Delacorte titles of this period are identified in the usual way — no price at the jacket flap and a blind-stamped square or dot on the rear board, with lighter bulk and lower-grade paper than the trade book. Note that a previous owner's personal blindstamp at the half title is a provenance mark, not a club tell, and should not be confused with one.

I have a first edition of Marathon Man — 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.