Is My Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Simon & Schuster (New York) hardcover, 1976 (ISBN 0-671-22331-3)
• The edition is not word-stated; the first printing is identified by the number line on the copyright page
• During this period (mid-1973 to 1980) Simon & Schuster set the row in interlaced order with the lowest number at the left, so a first printing shows the '1' present and leading (the odd-then-even '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' form); later printings drop the leading low digit
• The first printing is bound in light rose paper-covered boards with the title embossed in deep rose on the front cover and spine, over rose endpapers, and the first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price

How Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• ERA 3 — Number-line introduction (mid-1973–1980): S&S adopted a copyright-page number line. Read the lowest number present: a line whose lowest digit is 1 is a first printing (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' or the descendin…
• CROSS-CHECK across all number-line eras: A 1-bearing number line is frequently paired with a spelled-out first-issue statement (which may read 'First Printing' OR 'First Edition' — both occur at S&S). When a positive sta…

Full Simon & Schuster 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 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 true first is the 1976 Simon & Schuster hardcover (first printing 1 September 1976). The UK edition followed from Jonathan Cape in 1977.P-025769

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book-club edition is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and issued with a jacket bearing no printed price; it also lacks the leading '1' of the trade first's number line.P-025770

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel a first edition?

A first edition of Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel by Richard Brautigan (Simon & Schuster) is identified by: Simon & Schuster (New York) hardcover, 1976 (ISBN 0-671-22331-3).

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 true first is the 1976 Simon & Schuster hardcover (first printing 1 September 1976).

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

The book-club edition is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and issued with a jacket bearing no printed price; it also lacks the leading '1' of the trade first's number line.

I have a first edition of Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel — 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.