Is My Miss Lonelyhearts a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition: Liveright, New York, 1933 (published 8 April 1933)
• Notorious issue history tied to Liveright's bankruptcy: about 2,200 copies were printed but only roughly 800 were shipped to bookshops before the collapse; copies bearing the Liveright imprint and 1933 date are the first issue
• The withheld sheets (about 1,400 copies) were reissued in June 1933 by Harcourt, Brace under their own imprint as the second issue, and the title was remaindered by Greenberg in 1934 as the third issue

How Liveright marked a first edition

• No statement of printing on the copyright page of firsts; later printings designated 'second printing', etc.
• Therefore: absence of any later-printing notice = first printing (for the vintage era).

Full Liveright 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. 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.
5. 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 Liveright 1933 issue is the true first; the Harcourt, Brace 1933 reissue (Liveright sheets under the Harcourt imprint) is the second issue, and the Greenberg 1934 remainder is the third. A genuine Liveright-imprint copy is far scarcer.P-022182

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Check the title-page imprint: Liveright equals first issue; Harcourt, Brace equals second issue; Greenberg equals third. Later editions are obvious reprints.P-022183

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Miss Lonelyhearts a first edition?

A first edition of Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West (Liveright) is identified by: First edition: Liveright, New York, 1933 (published 8 April 1933).

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 Liveright 1933 issue is the true first; the Harcourt, Brace 1933 reissue (Liveright sheets under the Harcourt imprint) is the second issue, and the Greenberg 1934 remainder is the third.

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

Check the title-page imprint: Liveright equals first issue; Harcourt, Brace equals second issue; Greenberg equals third. Later editions are obvious reprints.

I have a first edition of Miss Lonelyhearts — 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.