Is My Copy of Red Sky at Morning a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first edition: J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and New York, 1968, the author's first book
• Issued in red cloth with the spine titled in gilt; a first-state jacket is unclipped and retains the Lippincott printed price on the front flap
• Confirm the 1968 Lippincott imprint and the absence of any later-printing or book-club statement on the copyright page
• New Mexico boarding-school canon

How Lippincott marked a first edition

• From ~1925: printed 'First Edition' on the copyright page of books deemed important; novels and children's books often NOT so marked.

Full Lippincott 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. 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.
5. 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?

The 1968 J. B. Lippincott hardcover is the true first edition and first appearance of Bradford's debut novel, later the basis for the 1971 film.P-025727

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition; a book-club copy typically shows a blindstamped gutter code on the rear board and carries no printed price on the jacket. Use the Lippincott 1968 imprint and unclipped priced jacket to be certain.P-025728

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Red Sky at Morning a first edition?

A first edition of Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford (Lippincott) is identified by: True first edition: J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and New York, 1968, the author's first book.

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. The 1968 J. B. Lippincott hardcover is the true first edition and first appearance of Bradford's debut novel, later the basis for the 1971 film.

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

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition; a book-club copy typically shows a blindstamped gutter code on the rear board and carries no printed price on the jacket. Use the Lippincott 1968 imprint and unclipped priced jacket to be certain.

I have a first edition of Red Sky at Morning — 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.