Is My Paper Towns a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008
• ISBN 978-0-525-47818-8
• First printings carry the complete number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page — the "1" must be present; several dealers also report a "First Edition" statement, but the number line is the point every source agrees on, so read it
• Bound in quarter black cloth over blue boards with blue spine lettering
• Jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the front flap
• Issued in two jacket variants, both correct for the first printing: a bright yellow background with Margo smiling ("happy Margo"), and a blue-grey, mud-washed, worn-finish background with Margo looking sad ("sad Margo")

How Dutton Books marked a first edition

• Historic E.P. Dutton (founded 1852): first printings often identified by the absence of later-printing statements; many mid-century titles state 'First Edition' or 'First Printing'.
• Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.

Full Dutton Books 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. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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?

The census claim is confirmed and can be stated more strongly. Dutton US (16 October 2008) is the unambiguous true first — the Bloomsbury UK edition did not follow until 3 May 2010, so there is no UK/US precedence or simultaneity question here. On the two jackets: both were issued on the original American hardcover and both count as first-edition jackets; neither has precedence. Dealers consistently describe the yellow "happy Margo" as the harder to find of the two, but no published census establishes relative scarcity, so treat that as trade opinion rather than fact. The third familiar Margo cover belongs to the 2009 US paperback and is not a first-edition jacket — a first-edition book in that jacket is a marriage.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No title-specific book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted. Later-issue tells: any copy whose number line lacks the "1"; Bloomsbury UK copies (2010 and later, different ISBN); and the September 2009 Dutton paperback carrying the third cover image. General period tells for club copies apply — reduced trim and lighter bulk, no price at the jacket flap or "Book Club Edition" printed at the front flap, and a blind stamp or dot on the rear board near the spine.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Paper Towns a first edition?

A first edition of Paper Towns by John Green (Dutton Books) is identified by: Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008; ISBN 978-0-525-47818-8.

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

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The census claim is confirmed and can be stated more strongly.

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

No title-specific book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted. Later-issue tells: any copy whose number line lacks the "1"; Bloomsbury UK copies (2010 and later, different ISBN); and the September 2009 Dutton paperback carrying the third cover image. General period tells for club copies apply — reduced trim and lighter bulk, no price at the jacket flap or "Book Club Edition" printed at the front flap, and a blind stamp or dot on the rear board near the spine.

I have a first edition of Paper Towns — 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.