Is My Orthodoxy a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the London John Lane, The Bodley Head edition, whose title page is dated MCMIX
• even though the book was actually printed 25 September 1908 in a run of 5,310 copies (Sullivan 13) — the date discrepancy is the key trap, because the '1909' title page marks the first edition, not a reprint
• Binding is pale green cloth lettered in gilt and ruled in blind, top edge gilt, the fore and lower edges deckled
• The first American edition (John Lane Company, New York) appeared about the same time and confusingly carries an 1908 date; exact London-versus-New-York day precedence is not definitively settled, but the Bodley Head London printing is the recognized first edition

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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 American 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?

Recognized true first is the London Bodley Head edition (title page MCMIX/1909, printed Sept 1908, Sullivan 13); the New York John Lane Company edition is the first American. Because the London title page reads 1909 while the US issue can show 1908, a buyer must not treat the earlier-looking date as the first — and the precise London/New York day-precedence is debated, though no source treats the American as the true first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1908-dated New York John Lane Company issue is the usual point of confusion with the London first. Later John Lane reprints followed; no book-club edition is documented for the first printing.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Orthodoxy a first edition?

A first edition of Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (John Lane, The Bodley Head) is identified by: The true first is the London John Lane, The Bodley Head edition, whose title page is dated MCMIX (1909) even though the book was actually printed 25 September 1908 in a run of 5,310 copies (Sullivan 13) — the date discrepancy is the key trap, because the '1909' title page marks the first edition, not a reprint.

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. Recognized true first is the London Bodley Head edition (title page MCMIX/1909, printed Sept 1908, Sullivan 13); the New York John Lane Company edition is the first American.

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

The 1908-dated New York John Lane Company issue is the usual point of confusion with the London first. Later John Lane reprints followed; no book-club edition is documented for the first printing.

I have a first edition of Orthodoxy — 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.