The points of issue
Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page accompanied by a complete number line. Author's first book; sixteen stories; quarter cloth over boards. Issued in a dust jacket with the price on the front flap. Won the Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award (PEN/Hemingway Award) for a first work of fiction.
Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row edition is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition followed in 1983.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the stated First Edition line and number line, carry a rear-board blind stamp, and have no price on the jacket flap.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Shiloh and Other Stories a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page accompanied by a complete number line. Author's first book; sixteen stories; quarter cloth over boards. Issued in a dust jacket with the price on the front flap. Won the Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award (PEN/Hemingway Award) for a first work of fiction.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Harper & Row edition is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition followed in 1983.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club editions lack the stated First Edition line and number line, carry a rear-board blind stamp, and have no price on the jacket flap.
I have a first edition of Shiloh and Other Stories — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.