Is My Speaker for the Dead a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing carries the printed statement "First printing: March 1986" on the copyright page, together with a Tor number line that descends to 1 (the Tor form "0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1")
• Issued in the original first-issue dust jacket, which should carry its printed cover price on the front flap; the price being intact confirms an unclipped example, though a neatly clipped jacket does not by itself demote a first printing
• Tor is stamped as the publisher on the title page; the later 1991 reissue is a separate jacket and should not be confused with the 1986 first

How Tor Books marked a first edition

• Tor's reliable test: the explicit 'First Edition' line PLUS the number line — both must be present for a hardcover first.

Full Tor Books 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?

The US Tor hardcover, first printing dated March 1986, is the true first edition. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and the direct sequel to Ender's Game.P-023308

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Science Fiction Book Club edition is the common look-alike: it reads "Book Club Edition" on the jacket flap, carries no printed price, has a blind-stamped dot or square to the lower rear board, is slightly smaller, and is printed on lighter paper. It lacks the "First printing: March 1986" line and Tor number line of the true first.P-023309

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Speaker for the Dead a first edition?

A first edition of Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (Tor Books) is identified by: First printing carries the printed statement "First printing: March 1986" on the copyright page, together with a Tor number line that descends to 1 (the Tor form "0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1").

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 Tor hardcover, first printing dated March 1986, is the true first edition.

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

The Science Fiction Book Club edition is the common look-alike: it reads "Book Club Edition" on the jacket flap, carries no printed price, has a blind-stamped dot or square to the lower rear board, is slightly smaller, and is printed on lighter paper. It lacks the "First printing: March 1986" line and Tor number line of the true first.

I have a first edition of Speaker for the Dead — 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.