Is My Riding the Earthboy 40 a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First printing" on the copyright page — World Publishing's practice was to state either "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the copyright page of firsts (Quill & Brush
• ILAB), and multiple independent dealers (Alexanderplatz Books, Grendel Books, River Break Books, Peter Keisogloff Rare Books, Compass Rose, Town's End) describe 1971 copies as stated first printings
• Physical points: slim octavo, 54 pp
• (collated [10], 3–54, [2]); textured faux-leather boards with gilt spine lettering — dealers describe the board color variously as orange, red, or maroon, so allow for that range; glossy pictorial jacket designed by Milton Charles, with the price present at the front flap on unclipped copies
• Bubbling to the pastedowns is reported by dealers as a production fault of the binding, not damage; remainder marks to the bottom edge or rear endpapers are common and do not affect first-printing status
• An uncorrected proof in wrappers (described as mustard) is recorded

How The World Publishing Company marked a first edition

• Treat the claim that 'later titles adopted a number line with 1 present' as UNVERIFIED/likely incorrect for World — no evidence found that World used a Scribner/Random-House-style number line; the leading-digit title-pag…

Full The World Publishing Company 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-only true first: The World Publishing Company, New York, 1971 — Welch's first book. Scarce for a documented reason: dealers consistently report that World folded as the book was being introduced and the edition was never properly distributed. The trap on this title is the Harper & Row edition (New York; dated 1975 or 1976 in dealer listings, most commonly 1976), which is a REVISED AND EXPANDED edition adding seven new poems — a "first thus," not the first, though many sellers list it simply as "First Edition"; a simultaneous Harper paperback of the revised text exists. Later Carnegie Mellon/Confluence (1997) and Penguin Poets (2004) issues reprint the revised text and are reprints.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for the World 1971 edition — the printing barely reached the trade. The reprint to watch for is the Harper & Row revised and expanded edition, which is a different text, not a club copy. Remainder-marked World copies are still first printings.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Riding the Earthboy 40 a first edition?

A first edition of Riding the Earthboy 40 by James Welch (The World Publishing Company) is identified by: The first printing states "First printing" on the copyright page — World Publishing's practice was to state either "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the copyright page of firsts (Quill & Brush; ILAB), and multiple independent dealers (Alexanderplatz Books, Grendel Books, River Break Books, Peter Keisogloff Rare Books, Compass Rose, Town's End) describe 1971 copies as stated first printings.

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-only true first: The World Publishing Company, New York, 1971 — Welch's first book.

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

No book-club issue is documented for the World 1971 edition — the printing barely reached the trade. The reprint to watch for is the Harper & Row revised and expanded edition, which is a different text, not a club copy. Remainder-marked World copies are still first printings.

I have a first edition of Riding the Earthboy 40 — 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.