The points of issue
Cloth-backed boards; full number line on the copyright page that includes the 1; first-state dust jacket priced at the printed price and not clipped.
Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster (New York) is the true first (hardcover ISBN 0-671-46097-1). Won the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue lacks the jacket price and breaks the number line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Cloth-backed boards; full number line on the copyright page that includes the 1; first-state dust jacket priced at the printed price and not clipped.
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 Simon & Schuster (New York) is the true first (hardcover ISBN 0-671-46097-1). Won the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club issue lacks the jacket price and breaks the number line.
I have a first edition of Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63 — 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.