Is My Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
• The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the words 'First Edition' together with the full number line running down to 0 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0); later printings lack the low numbers
• It is bound in half red cloth over red boards with the spine lettered in gilt (the red cloth and jacket are notoriously prone to fading/sunning), in a dust jacket designed by Mike McIver and priced at the flap
• A documented advance-copy point: pre-publication copies given to Feynman in late 1984 (roughly 16-20) carry a faint publisher's stamp reading '43546' at the top of the front free endpaper (per Manhattan Rare Books)

How W. W. Norton & Company marked a first edition

• Early/statement-only era (1923 to roughly the late 1950s–early 1960s): a first printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page, and Norton simply DROPPED that line on later printings — there was no print…
• Number-line adoption (sometime in the 1960s — the guides do not pin an exact year, and it roughly coincides with the employee-ownership transition): Norton added a printing key/number row to the copyright page. From this…

Full W. W. Norton & 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. 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 only. Norton (New York), 1985 is the true first; the UK edition (Unwin) is a later, separate publication. The book was edited from taped conversations by Ralph Leighton; the subtitle is 'Adventures of a Curious Character.'

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Norton printings are shown by a number line that no longer ends in the low digits/0, so a first printing must display both 'First Edition' and the complete number line; beware later printings in like jackets. No separate hardback book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character a first edition?

A first edition of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman with Ralph Leighton (W. W. Norton & Company) is identified by: Norton & Company, New York, 1985.

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 only.

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

Later Norton printings are shown by a number line that no longer ends in the low digits/0, so a first printing must display both 'First Edition' and the complete number line; beware later printings in like jackets. No separate hardback book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted.

I have a first edition of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character — 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.