Is My Copy of Passing a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing has 1929 on both the title page and the title verso, with no additional printing stated on the copyright page — Knopf's pre-1933/34 practice was to state every printing after the first, so absence of a statement is the test
• Bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in red and lettered in silver, top edge stained red; collation [10], 215, [2] pp, 8vo (approx. 7 11/16 x 5 in.)
• There is a documented text-state point: the closing paragraph present in the early printing was dropped from the third printing, and scholarship divides on the cause (Thadious M. Davis suggests Larsen's own hand
• Charles R. Larson attributes it to a dropped plate) — the presence of the final paragraph is a useful corroborating check on an early text state, though it does not by itself separate the first from the second printing
• All three 1929 printings were small
• The jacket is exceptionally scarce; a priced jacket with the price present at the flap is the unclipped state

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.)…

Full Alfred A. Knopf 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 Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1929 is the only first — Larsen's second novel. No separate contemporaneous British first edition was traced; the Knopf imprint line of the period reads New York and London, which reflects the imprint rather than a distinct UK edition and does not create a competing first.P-039350

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. The live trap is the stated later Knopf printings — all three printings appeared in 1929 and are dated 1929, so the year alone proves nothing; the copyright page must be free of any printing statement.P-039351

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Passing a first edition?

A first edition of Passing by Nella Larsen (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: The first printing has 1929 on both the title page and the title verso, with no additional printing stated on the copyright page — Knopf's pre-1933/34 practice was to state every printing after the first, so absence of a statement is the test.

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 Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1929 is the only first — Larsen's second novel.

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

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. The live trap is the stated later Knopf printings — all three printings appeared in 1929 and are dated 1929, so the year alone proves nothing; the copyright page must be free of any printing statement.

I have a first edition of Passing — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.