Is My Now We Are Six a First Edition?

The points of issue

• UK Methuen first edition, published October 1927: standard trade issue in maroon/dark-red cloth with gilt ruling and gilt vignettes (Christopher Robin with toy train to the front board, Pooh and Piglet to the rear), gilt spine lettering, top edge gilt, the rest uncut; pink endpapers illustrated by Shepard
• Copyright leaf reads 'First Published in 1927' with no later-impression statement
• The first-state dust jacket carries the original published price printed on the spine
• A signed large-paper deluxe limited of 200 copies was also issued — in salmon/orange paper-covered boards with a buckram spine and a printed paper label to the front board, signed by Milne and Shepard

How Methuen & Co. marked a first edition

• Since 1905: state "First published in [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page of firsts, with later printings noted

Full Methuen & Co. 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 UK 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?

The UK Methuen edition is the true first, ahead of the US E. P. Dutton 1927 edition. Both are collected; Methuen precedes.P-036380

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Reprints carry an edition or impression statement on the verso. The genuine deluxe is the 200-copy large-paper issue in paper boards (not leather or vellum). A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.P-036381

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Now We Are Six a first edition?

A first edition of Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne (illustrated by E. H. Shepard) (Methuen & Co.) is identified by: UK Methuen first edition, published October 1927: standard trade issue in maroon/dark-red cloth with gilt ruling and gilt vignettes (Christopher Robin with toy train to the front board, Pooh and Piglet to the rear), gilt spine lettering, top edge gilt, the rest uncut; pink endpapers illustrated by Shepard.

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 UK Methuen edition is the true first, ahead of the US E.

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

Reprints carry an edition or impression statement on the verso. The genuine deluxe is the 200-copy large-paper issue in paper boards (not leather or vellum). A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.

I have a first edition of Now We Are Six — 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.