Is My Small Mercies a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Harper (HarperCollins) hardcover, New York, published 25 April 2023 (trade ISBN 9780062129482), roughly 299-303 pp
• First printing states First Edition on the copyright page with a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1; a line ending in a higher digit (for example ending in 5) denotes a later printing
• Binding is black paper over boards
• The dust jacket should retain its printed price
• A Barnes & Noble exclusive edition exists under a separate ISBN with additional bonus material (an End of Summer essay) and is a distinct issue, not the trade first

How Harper marked a first edition

• From 1922: also began printing 'First Edition' on the copyright page in addition to the code.
• Letter code discontinued after 1949; later Harper & Row used standard statements/number lines.

Full Harper 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. 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.
4. Verify this is the US 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?

US Harper (HarperCollins imprint) hardcover is the true first; a standalone novel set in 1974 Boston, published April 2023. Collect the trade Harper first printing (number line to 1), distinct from the Barnes & Noble exclusive.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings are identified by a number line not reaching 1 (e.g. ending in 5 for a fifth printing). The Barnes & Noble exclusive with bonus material is a separate issue, not a book-club reprint.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Small Mercies a first edition?

A first edition of Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane (Harper) is identified by: US Harper (HarperCollins) hardcover, New York, published 25 April 2023 (trade ISBN 9780062129482), roughly 299-303 pp.

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). US Harper (HarperCollins imprint) hardcover is the true first; a standalone novel set in 1974 Boston, published April 2023.

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

Later printings are identified by a number line not reaching 1 (e.g. ending in 5 for a fifth printing). The Barnes & Noble exclusive with bonus material is a separate issue, not a book-club reprint.

I have a first edition of Small Mercies — what should I do?

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 lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

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.