Is My Serenade a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Knopf's practice from 1933/34 to 1947 governs this book: the first printing carries the statement "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page, and Knopf removed that line on later impressions, substituting "Second Printing," "Third Printing," etc. — a Knopf Serenade stated "second printing, December 1937" is recorded in the trade
• Watch the standing Knopf trap: a copyright page reading "First and second printings before publication" denotes a second printing, not a first
• Physically: octavo, 314 pp. plus 2 unnumbered; publisher's black cloth decorated and stamped in silver, with silver lettering and Mayan-style motifs on the spine; a red topstain is reported
• The book was designed by W. A. Dwiggins, who also supplied the title-page vignette and the dust jacket — an unusual excursion for him into wrapper design (Smiley & Bell 41); the text was composed in Linotype Bodoni and the book printed and bound by the Plimpton Press, Norwood, Massachusetts
• The jacket exists in several colour variants (a red-dominant version and a purple-and-red version among them) with no priority established between them; a first-edition jacket is a priced jacket, with the price present at the front flap, and unclipped examples show notably vibrant colour
• Cited as Ahearn APG 004a

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf 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 UK 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?

The census claim is correct: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1937 is the true first of Cain's second novel, and it completes the core Cain Knopf run. The first English edition is Jonathan Cape, London, 1938 — copyright page reading "First Published 1938," 286 pp., red cloth — a later, separate setting that does not compete for precedence but is collected in its own right as the first UK edition and is decidedly scarce in its dust jacket. No prior foreign-language edition exists; the book was written and first published in English.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No contemporaneous book-club issue of the Knopf 1937 first is documented in the sources consulted, so the operative checks are the "FIRST EDITION" line on the copyright page and a priced, unclipped Dwiggins jacket. Later Knopf impressions announce themselves on the copyright page by printing number and month; any copy carrying a printing statement, lacking the "FIRST EDITION" line, or bearing a reprint house's imprint on the spine or title page is a later book.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Serenade a first edition?

A first edition of Serenade by James M. Cain (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: Knopf's practice from 1933/34 to 1947 governs this book: the first printing carries the statement "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page, and Knopf removed that line on later impressions, substituting "Second Printing," "Third Printing," etc.

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 census claim is correct: Alfred A.

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

No contemporaneous book-club issue of the Knopf 1937 first is documented in the sources consulted, so the operative checks are the "FIRST EDITION" line on the copyright page and a priced, unclipped Dwiggins jacket. Later Knopf impressions announce themselves on the copyright page by printing number and month; any copy carrying a printing statement, lacking the "FIRST EDITION" line, or bearing a reprint house's imprint on the spine or title page is a later book.

I have a first edition of Serenade — 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.