Is My Copy of Ship Fever and Other Stories a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Full descending number line present on the copyright page
• W. W. Norton (New York) imprint; half white cloth over white boards with copper lettering; first-issue dust jacket priced on the front flap
• Issued in cloth and in a simultaneous trade paperback; the cloth first is the collectible issue and is genuinely scarce

How W. W. Norton marked a first edition

• Modern era (1960s–present): a true first typically prints BOTH a stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page AND a number line whose lowest number is 1. Treat the two as a matched pair — the statement declares intent…

Full W. W. Norton first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
3. Verify this is the US 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 US Norton hardcover of 1996 is the true first edition. It won the 1996 National Book Award for Fiction. The cloth first had a small print run and is uncommon.P-001400

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The simultaneous Norton trade paperback is not the collectible first. Confirm the cloth binding and a complete number line ending in 1.P-001401

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Ship Fever and Other Stories a first edition?

A first edition of Ship Fever and Other Stories by Andrea Barrett (W. W. Norton) is identified by: Full descending number line present on the copyright page; W. W. Norton (New York) imprint; half white cloth over white boards with copper lettering; first-issue dust jacket priced on the front flap.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US Norton hardcover of 1996 is the true first edition.

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

The simultaneous Norton trade paperback is not the collectible first. Confirm the cloth binding and a complete number line ending in 1.

I have a first edition of Ship Fever and Other Stories — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.