Is My Soul on Ice a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared)
• Publisher's blue cloth lettered in white and green; xvi + 210 + [1] pp, octavo; introduction by Maxwell Geismar
• The first printing carries 'First Edition' on the copyright page (McGraw-Hill's period practice) with no later-printing indicator, in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap)
• Many later McGraw-Hill printings (2nd through 12th and beyond) exist, so verify the copyright-page 'First Edition' statement rather than relying on the 1968 date alone

How McGraw-Hill Book Company marked a first edition

• From 1956 onward: adopted a consistent 'First Edition' statement on the COPYRIGHT PAGE and noted subsequent printings.

Full McGraw-Hill Book Company 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. 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 McGraw-Hill 1968 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969). The census note is correct.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Delta/Dell paperback (1968, pictorial wraps) and the many later McGraw-Hill hardcover printings are common and are NOT the first; the first-printing hardback in a priced jacket, with the 'First Edition' copyright statement, is the collecting point.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Soul on Ice a first edition?

A first edition of Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver (McGraw-Hill Book Company) is identified by: True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared).

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. US McGraw-Hill 1968 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969).

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

The Delta/Dell paperback (1968, pictorial wraps) and the many later McGraw-Hill hardcover printings are common and are NOT the first; the first-printing hardback in a priced jacket, with the 'First Edition' copyright statement, is the collecting point.

I have a first edition of Soul on Ice — 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.