Is My Pawn of Prophecy a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Del Rey/Ballantine mass-market paperback original, New York, April 1982, Ballantine catalogue number 29637 (ISBN 0-345-29637-0)
• There was no US hardcover: the book was issued only in wraps
• Per Biblio's Ballantine publisher guide, Ballantine/Del Rey paperback firsts of this period carry "First Edition (month, year)" or "First Printing (month, year)" on the copyright page together with a number line that must still retain the 1 — judge by the number line, not by the statement alone, since later printings can carry the original edition line forward
• Later Del Rey reissues under different Ballantine numbers/ISBNs (0-345-30997-9, 0-345-33551-1) are not the first printing; dealers do list some of these as "firsts," which is a known mis-listing
• Sources consulted do not document a first-state text error or variant wrapper for this title

How Del Rey / Ballantine Books marked a first edition

• Number line on copyright page; first printing has the '1' present. Modern PRH-era Ballantine uses the full descending line '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' with no edition statement, OR with 'First Edition' stated.

Full Del Rey / Ballantine 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?

Census claim confirmed but its framing needs correction. The US paperback original precedes everything, and the claim that "hardcover editions are later reprints" is right for the wrong reason: there was no UK hardcover contemporary with the first at all. The UK first was a Corgi (London) paperback, and the LoC-derived catalogue record for the Corgi printing reads "Originally published: New York : Ballantine, 1982," independently fixing US precedence. The Transworld hardcover (ISBN 0-593-02616-0) is a 1992 book, not an early UK hardcover. Only the Del Rey pbo is collected as the first edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The alt.fan.eddings FAQ records that the only hardcover of the Belgariad available before 1995 was a two-volume Science Fiction Book Club omnibus — so any pre-1995 Belgariad hardcover is a club omnibus, not a first edition. The Easton Press signed collector's edition (1997) is a later "first thus."

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Pawn of Prophecy a first edition?

A first edition of Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (Del Rey / Ballantine Books) is identified by: The true first is the Del Rey/Ballantine mass-market paperback original, New York, April 1982, Ballantine catalogue number 29637 (ISBN 0-345-29637-0).

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). Census claim confirmed but its framing needs correction.

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

The alt.fan.eddings FAQ records that the only hardcover of the Belgariad available before 1995 was a two-volume Science Fiction Book Club omnibus — so any pre-1995 Belgariad hardcover is a club omnibus, not a first edition. The Easton Press signed collector's edition (1997) is a later "first thus."

I have a first edition of Pawn of Prophecy — 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.