Is My Schindler's Ark a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First UK edition, Hodder & Stoughton 1982, titled Schindler's Ark (not Schindler's List), published in October 1982. 'First published 1982' on the verso; original boards with dust jacket
• 1982 Booker winner

How Hodder & Stoughton marked a first edition

• Modern era (number line): later Hodder/Sceptre titles carry a printer's-key number line (lowest digit = printing; '1' present = first); number lines are a general post-~1970 trade practice — the exact year Hodder adopted…
• First printing = era-appropriate statement present AND no later-impression/printing notation; for pre-1940s books rely on points/bibliography, not the copyright page

Full Hodder & Stoughton 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 UK 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 UK Hodder edition under the title Schindler's Ark is the true first of the work; the US Simon & Schuster 1982 edition was retitled Schindler's List. The UK 'Ark' title precedes and is the true first.P-031178

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The US Schindler's List title is a separate US issue, not the true first. UK book-club reprints lack the first-issue verso line. The film tie-in Schindler's List reprints are much later.P-031179

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Schindler's Ark a first edition?

A first edition of Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally (Hodder & Stoughton) is identified by: First UK edition, Hodder & Stoughton 1982, titled Schindler's Ark (not Schindler's List), published in October 1982.

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 UK Hodder edition under the title Schindler's Ark is the true first of the work; the US Simon & Schuster 1982 edition was retitled Schindler's List.

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

The US Schindler's List title is a separate US issue, not the true first. UK book-club reprints lack the first-issue verso line. The film tie-in Schindler's List reprints are much later.

I have a first edition of Schindler's Ark — 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.