Is My Of Mice and Men a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: US Covici-Friede (NY, 1937) is the recognized true first edition; the UK Heinemann edition is also 1937 but later/secondary — CONFIRMED. First-issue point (CORRECTED): the point on p.9 is TEXTUAL, not "broken/cropped type." The first issue (first printing, first state) CONTAINS the nine-word phrase at the bottom of p.9 reading "...and only moved because the heavy hands were pendula." Roughly 2,500 copies were bound with this uncorrected reading; the page was then reset to delete those nine words, so the second issue/state ends the sentence at "...hung loosely." Thus the first state has the original (longer) uncorrected reading — it is not that it "lacks a correction" so much as it predates the deletion
• A second corroborating point is the bullet (raised period) between the two 8's of the page number on p.88 in the first issue (claim omitted this)
• Binding (CORRECTED/refined): publisher's beige/tan cloth, but stamped in terracotta/orange and black with a blue top-edge stain — NOT gilt
• Dust jacket: printed price on the upper front flap — CONFIRMED. Reference: Goldstone & Payne A7.a

How Covici-Friede marked a first edition

• 1928–1937: First editions carry no statement of printing on the copyright page; every later printing states its printing (e.g. 'Second Printing'). The absence of any printing statement indicates the first printing.

Full Covici-Friede 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 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 Covici-Friede is the true first; UK Heinemann is later. The recognized first-issue point is the broken/cropped type on p.9 ('pendula') and the absence of the second-issue correction.P-016334

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club and later printings reset the p.9 line and carry other imprints; Covici-Friede later printings note additional printings on the copyright page.P-016335

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Of Mice and Men a first edition?

A first edition of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Covici-Friede) is identified by: True first: US Covici-Friede (NY, 1937) is the recognized true first edition; the UK Heinemann edition is also 1937 but later/secondary — CONFIRMED.

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. US Covici-Friede is the true first; UK Heinemann is later.

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

Book-club and later printings reset the p.9 line and carry other imprints; Covici-Friede later printings note additional printings on the copyright page.

I have a first edition of Of Mice and Men — 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.