Is My Sight Lines signed first a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Copper Canyon Press first edition, 2019 (ISBN 9781556595592), issued as a paperback original — Sze's tenth collection and winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry
• A first edition is the Copper Canyon 2019 printing; on the first printing the copyright page carries the printing key without a later-impression statement
• Roughly 70 pages, perfect-bound in printed wrappers
• A signed first is simply this first printing autographed by Arthur Sze

How Copper Canyon Press marked a first edition

• Modern convention: first printing typically stated as 'First Printing' or 'First Edition' on the copyright page, frequently accompanied by a descending number line (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) — lowest digit 1 present indicate…

Full Copper Canyon Press 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. 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 Copper Canyon Press 2019 paperback original is the true first edition; there is no preceding hardcover trade issue. The National Book Award announcement post-dates first publication, so award-citation banding on the cover indicates a later printing, not the first.P-002573

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

As a Copper Canyon poetry paperback original, there is no book-club edition; the identifying first is the 2019 first printing in wrappers. Later printings reprint the same text and may add a National Book Award seal or 'winner' banding to the cover — a first printing predates that award notice.P-002574

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Sight Lines signed first a first edition?

A first edition of Sight Lines signed first by Arthur Sze (Copper Canyon Press) is identified by: US Copper Canyon Press first edition, 2019 (ISBN 9781556595592), issued as a paperback original — Sze's tenth collection and winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry.

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 Copper Canyon Press 2019 paperback original is the true first edition; there is no preceding hardcover trade issue.

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

As a Copper Canyon poetry paperback original, there is no book-club edition; the identifying first is the 2019 first printing in wrappers. Later printings reprint the same text and may add a National Book Award seal or 'winner' banding to the cover — a first printing predates that award notice.

I have a first edition of Sight Lines signed first — 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.