Is My Ride the Pink Horse a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Duell, Sloan and Pearce first printings are identified on the copyright page either by a stated "First Edition" or by the Roman numeral "I"; a second printing carries the Roman numeral "II," a third "III," and so on
• That Roman-numeral sequence is the decisive point for this title and is documented independently in two standard publisher-identification guides — check the copyright page for "I" before anything else
• The book is an octavo, collating approximately [6] + 248 pp., bound in gray cloth lettered in red
• Issued in a pictorial dust jacket whose spine lettering is printed in pink and yellow; those two colors are fugitive and are very commonly faded or wholly lost on the spine panel, so a bright spine is unusual rather than suspect
• A priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is the unclipped state; price-clipped jackets are frequently encountered
• Reference: Hubin, p

How Duell, Sloan and Pearce marked a first edition

• 1939–1961: First printings are marked either with the words 'First Edition' OR with a Roman numeral 'I' on the copyright page. Later printings are denoted similarly — e.g., 'Second Printing' or 'II.' The presence of 'Fir…

Full Duell, Sloan and Pearce 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. 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 Duell, Sloan and Pearce (New York) 1946 is the true first edition; the census claim is confirmed. No British hardcover preceding the 1946 US printing was located. Some dealers catalogue the 1946 Duell as the "First American Edition" — that is house cataloguing style and does not imply an earlier English edition exists. The Bantam paperback and all later reissues, including the modern American Mystery Classics reprint, are "first thus" traps; likewise the 1947 Robert Montgomery film generated tie-in printings that are not firsts. The novel's Santa Fe Fiesta setting makes this a natural New Mexico collecting title, which is a provenance interest, not a bibliographic point.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition tells specific to this title are documented in the sources consulted. The Duell, Sloan and Pearce Roman-numeral scheme is itself the working reprint tell: any numeral above "I" on the copyright page, or a copyright page bearing neither "First Edition" nor "I," rules out the first printing. Absent an attested club point (blind-stamp, absent price, or club colophon) for this title, do not assert club status on binding evidence alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Ride the Pink Horse a first edition?

A first edition of Ride the Pink Horse by Dorothy B. Hughes (Duell, Sloan and Pearce) is identified by: Duell, Sloan and Pearce first printings are identified on the copyright page either by a stated "First Edition" or by the Roman numeral "I"; a second printing carries the Roman numeral "II," a third "III," and so on.

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. US Duell, Sloan and Pearce (New York) 1946 is the true first edition; the census claim is confirmed.

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

No book-club edition tells specific to this title are documented in the sources consulted. The Duell, Sloan and Pearce Roman-numeral scheme is itself the working reprint tell: any numeral above "I" on the copyright page, or a copyright page bearing neither "First Edition" nor "I," rules out the first printing. Absent an attested club point (blind-stamp, absent price, or club colophon) for this title, do not assert club status on binding evidence alone.

I have a first edition of Ride the Pink Horse — 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.