Is My Revolt on Alpha C a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Thomas Y. Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall
• It is Silverberg's first published book
• The first issue is bound in publisher's cloth and carries the original pictorial dust jacket; a correct copy retains the printed price on the jacket flap

How Thomas Y. Crowell marked a first edition

• A number line ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1', with the '1' present indicating a first printing) appears on later/modern Crowell books — some sources note number rows may have been used as early as the 1940s. Per the publisher,…

Full Thomas Y. Crowell first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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 US Thomas Y. Crowell first hardcover (1955) is the true first. It later appeared in paperback (Scholastic and other imprints); those are reprints, not the first.P-027864

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book club edition of the first was issued. The later Scholastic and other softcover printings are reprints, not club issues, and lack the Crowell hardcover binding and jacket.P-027865

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Revolt on Alpha C a first edition?

A first edition of Revolt on Alpha C by Robert Silverberg (Thomas Y. Crowell) is identified by: Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall.

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 US Thomas Y.

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

No book club edition of the first was issued. The later Scholastic and other softcover printings are reprints, not club issues, and lack the Crowell hardcover binding and jacket.

I have a first edition of Revolt on Alpha C — 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.