Is My Star Maker a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Ltd., London, published 24 June 1937 (date per Harvey Satty and Curtis Smith, Olaf Stapledon: A Bibliography, reference A7.1.1.1); the copyright page reads "First published in 1937"
• Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-ix [x] xi-xii 1-339 [340: printer's imprint]; bound in blue cloth with the spine panel stamped in red
• Issue here is settled by the jacket rather than by the book: the first-issue jacket carries the original price at the front flap; a jacket produced for the 1938 second issue carries a different flap price; and circa-1941 examples bear a cancel price sticker referencing extra war costs
• Currey accordingly catalogues first-impression sheets in those later jackets as "first edition, first impression, later issue" — so confirm the flap state, not just the copyright page
• An advance uncorrected proof also exists, in sea green wrappers printed in black and marked "Rough Proof" on the front cover

How Methuen & Co. Ltd. marked a first edition

• Since 1905: state "First published in [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page of firsts, with later printings noted

Full Methuen & Co. Ltd. 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 American 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?

Methuen, London, 1937 is the true first and the only original — census confirmed. There was no contemporaneous American edition: US publication followed only decades later (a Berkley paperback in 1961 and the Dover omnibus pairing it with Last and First Men in 1968), so no US first competes for precedence and there is no original-language question. Star Maker is the companion cornerstone to Last and First Men (Methuen, 1930) and the two are collected as a pair; only the Methuen issues are firsts.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue of the Methuen printing is documented in the sources consulted. The documented complication is issue rather than club: Methuen reissued first-impression sheets in 1938 and again during the war under jackets bearing later flap pricing, and Satty & Smith did not locate every later jacket state, so a genuine first-edition, first-impression book can legitimately sit in a demonstrably later jacket — describe book and jacket separately. Later omnibus, Dover, and paperback reprints carry their own imprints and dates.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Star Maker a first edition?

A first edition of Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon (Methuen & Co. Ltd.) is identified by: Ltd., London, published 24 June 1937 (date per Harvey Satty and Curtis Smith, Olaf Stapledon: A Bibliography, reference A7.1.1.1); the copyright page reads "First published in 1937".

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. Methuen, London, 1937 is the true first and the only original — census confirmed.

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

No book-club issue of the Methuen printing is documented in the sources consulted. The documented complication is issue rather than club: Methuen reissued first-impression sheets in 1938 and again during the war under jackets bearing later flap pricing, and Satty & Smith did not locate every later jacket state, so a genuine first-edition, first-impression book can legitimately sit in a demonstrably later jacket — describe book and jacket separately. Later omnibus, Dover, and paperback reprints c

I have a first edition of Star Maker — 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.