Is My Micro a First Edition?

The points of issue

• 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page with a complete number line descending to 1
• The first-printing binding is black boards blindstamped on the front cover with a micro-person and a beetle, quarter-bound in black cloth with iridescent red foil lettering to the spine, over Hawaii map endpapers; about 429 pages plus an About the Authors leaf
• The pictorial first-state dust jacket is predominantly red with a black insect and a small red silhouette of a man within it, and should retain the printed price on the flap
• Posthumous novel completed by Richard Preston, published under the Harper imprint of HarperCollins

How Harper marked a first edition

• From 1922: also began printing 'First Edition' on the copyright page in addition to the code.
• Letter code discontinued after 1949; later Harper & Row used standard statements/number lines.

Full Harper 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 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 Harper first edition is the true first.P-021694

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Reprints and book-club editions lack the stated 'First Edition' line and the complete number line; confirm the number line descends to 1 and that the blindstamped front board, red foil spine lettering, and Hawaii map endpapers are present.P-021695

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Micro a first edition?

A first edition of Micro by Michael Crichton (Harper) is identified by: 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page with a complete number line descending to 1.

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). US Harper first edition is the true first.

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

Reprints and book-club editions lack the stated 'First Edition' line and the complete number line; confirm the number line descends to 1 and that the blindstamped front board, red foil spine lettering, and Hawaii map endpapers are present.

I have a first edition of Micro — 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.