Is My Salmagundi; or The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq. and Others a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Issued as twenty individually printed pamphlet numbers between January 24, 1807, and January 15, 1808, published by David Longworth, New York
• Because the numbers were later gathered and rebound into two volumes, using title pages and parts printed at different times, 'first edition' copies are inherently a mix of variant part-states
• BAL states plainly that 'the final collation of Salmagundi has not been achieved' and that 'anything remotely resembling finality is impossible.' Known points include an early first-state reading 'Dress he!' on page 20 of Part I and a frontispiece portrait issued without a caption in its earliest state; individual numbers were themselves reprinted to meet demand, so complete sets often mix printings -- copies of Part I, for example, turn up in second- or third-printing states
• BAL records several different lettered title-page settings (at least A, B, and C appear in dealer descriptions) distributed across the two bound volumes in a sequence BAL says has never been determined

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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?

Because Salmagundi was issued serially in wrappers over a full year rather than as a single first-edition book, priority attaches to the individual numbered parts in their earliest state, not to any single 'first edition' book -- collectors and BAL both treat this as a parts-issue.P-034525

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Bound reissues from Longworth's own stock in subsequent years, and 20th-century scholarly editions (including the 1977 Twayne critical edition, volume six of The Complete Works of Washington Irving, edited by Bruce Granger and Martha Hartzog), are readily distinguished from the original serial pamphlet parts by their unified printing and binding.P-034526

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Salmagundi; or The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq. and Others a first edition?

A first edition of Salmagundi; or The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq. and Others by Washington Irving (with William Irving and James Kirke Paulding) (David Longworth) is identified by: Issued as twenty individually printed pamphlet numbers between January 24, 1807, and January 15, 1808, published by David Longworth, New York.

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. Because Salmagundi was issued serially in wrappers over a full year rather than as a single first-edition book, priority attaches to the individual numbered parts in their earliest state, not to any single 'first edition' book -- collectors and BAL both treat this as a parts-issue.

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

Bound reissues from Longworth's own stock in subsequent years, and 20th-century scholarly editions (including the 1977 Twayne critical edition, volume six of The Complete Works of Washington Irving, edited by Bruce Granger and Martha Hartzog), are readily distinguished from the original serial pamphlet parts by their unified printing and binding.

I have a first edition of Salmagundi; or The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, Esq. and Others — 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.