Skip to main content

First-Edition Identification · Isaac Asimov

Is My Nine Tomorrows a First Edition?

Doubleday, 1959

The points of issue

"First Edition" stated on the copyright page. First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price on the front flap (not the printed price). Includes "The Last Question."

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Doubleday first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

US Doubleday is the true first edition (1959).

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club editions omit "First Edition" on the copyright page and bear a blind-stamped device on the lower rear board, without the priced first-issue jacket.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Nine Tomorrows a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price on the front flap (not the printed price). Includes "The Last Question."

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Doubleday is the true first edition (1959).

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

Book club editions omit "First Edition" on the copyright page and bear a blind-stamped device on the lower rear board, without the priced first-issue jacket.

I have a first edition of Nine Tomorrows — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

Keep identifying