Is My Sea and Sardinia a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921
• Roberts A20), illustrated with eight color plates by Jan Juta plus a map plate
• Recognized first-edition point: line 3 of page 127 is printed upside down (present in all first-edition copies, per Roberts)
• Bound in green paper-covered boards with a tan / buff cloth spine and printed paper label; the eight Juta plates and the p.127 error are the primary identification points

How Thomas Seltzer marked a first edition

• 1919–1926: no 'first edition' statement on the copyright page; first printings are identified by the absence of a later-printing notice, with subsequent printings noted — typical of small 1920s New York literary houses.

Full Thomas Seltzer 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 American 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?

American true first: Thomas Seltzer (New York), 1921, precedes the first English edition, Martin Secker (London), 1923, by about two years. Both are collected, but the Seltzer is the true first; the Secker (brown cloth, reusing a Juta plate on the jacket) is a first-English / first-thus. Census precedence confirmed.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1923 Secker London edition is the first English edition (first-thus), not the true first. Later reprints omit the original Seltzer plates/format and the p.127 point.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Sea and Sardinia a first edition?

A first edition of Sea and Sardinia by D.H. Lawrence (Thomas Seltzer) is identified by: True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921; Roberts A20), illustrated with eight color plates by Jan Juta plus a map plate.

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. American true first: Thomas Seltzer (New York), 1921, precedes the first English edition, Martin Secker (London), 1923, by about two years.

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

The 1923 Secker London edition is the first English edition (first-thus), not the true first. Later reprints omit the original Seltzer plates/format and the p.127 point.

I have a first edition of Sea and Sardinia — 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.