Is My Copy of Red Dragon a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Putnam first printing: copyright page with no later-printing statement (per Putnam's practice; first state shows no number-line indicating a later printing)
• First-state dust jacket with its printed price
• First appearance of Hannibal Lecter (spelled 'Lecter' in the book)

How G.P. Putnam's Sons marked a first edition

• US, 1960–mid-1980s: first editions remain UNSTATED. Every printing after the first carries the words 'Second impression' (or 'Third impression,' etc.) on the copyright page; a copyright page with no 'impression'…

Full G.P. Putnam's Sons 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?

US Putnam 1981 is the true first, preceding the UK Bodley Head edition (1981). The US first is the collected copy.P-031169

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book Club Edition has the rear-board blind stamp, no jacket price, and smaller dimensions. Confirm trade first by a priced jacket and Putnam first-printing indicia.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Red Dragon a first edition?

A first edition of Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (G.P. Putnam's Sons) is identified by: Putnam first printing: copyright page with no later-printing statement (per Putnam's practice; first state shows no number-line indicating a later printing).

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). US Putnam 1981 is the true first, preceding the UK Bodley Head edition (1981).

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

Book Club Edition has the rear-board blind stamp, no jacket price, and smaller dimensions. Confirm trade first by a priced jacket and Putnam first-printing indicia.

I have a first edition of Red Dragon — 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.