The points of issue
Publisher's blue cloth, dated 1962 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page, in a priced first-state dust jacket. Collation xxxii plus 816 pages.
Is this the true first?
US Oxford University Press (New York) is the true first, 1962.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page; confirm the copyright page is free of any later-printing line and that the jacket is unclipped.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Patriotic Gore: Studies in the Literature of the American Civil War a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Publisher's blue cloth, dated 1962 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page, in a priced first-state dust jacket. Collation xxxii plus 816 pages.
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 Oxford University Press (New York) is the true first, 1962.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page; confirm the copyright page is free of any later-printing line and that the jacket is unclipped.
I have a first edition of Patriotic Gore: Studies in the Literature of the American Civil War — 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.