Is My Copy of Misterioso a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First Dalkey Archive Press edition, Elmwood Park, Illinois, 1989 (ISBN 0-916583-43-0), the third and concluding volume of the 'Pack of Lies' trilogy that follows Odd Number and Rose Theatre
• The trade first edition is a hardcover of 282 pages issued in dust jacket; the jacket should carry its printed price and describe the book as the close of the trilogy
• (Note: the earlier description of this title as 'issued in wraps' is not supported by the bibliographic record, which lists the 1989 first as a cloth hardcover; verify the copy in hand.) The three volumes were later collected as Pack of Lies (Dalkey Archive, 1997), a separate later publication

How Dalkey Archive Press marked a first edition

• Modern convention: copyright page states 'First Edition' / 'First printing' often with a descending number line; '1' indicates first printing.
• Many Dalkey titles are reprints/translations of older works — the Dalkey edition is a 'first thus' (first Dalkey/first US/first English-language edition), which the copyright page and translation/first-publication notes…

Full Dalkey Archive 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. 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?

True first is the 1989 Dalkey Archive Press hardcover. The omnibus Pack of Lies (Dalkey Archive, 1997, ISBN 1-56478-154-3) is a later collected reprint, not the first appearance of Misterioso.P-010348

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition of note; distinguish the 1989 first from the 1997 Pack of Lies trilogy collection and any later Dalkey reprintings.P-010349

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Misterioso a first edition?

A first edition of Misterioso by Gilbert Sorrentino (Dalkey Archive Press) is identified by: First Dalkey Archive Press edition, Elmwood Park, Illinois, 1989 (ISBN 0-916583-43-0), the third and concluding volume of the 'Pack of Lies' trilogy that follows Odd Number and Rose Theatre.

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. True first is the 1989 Dalkey Archive Press hardcover.

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

No book-club edition of note; distinguish the 1989 first from the 1997 Pack of Lies trilogy collection and any later Dalkey reprintings.

I have a first edition of Misterioso — 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.