Is My The American Dream a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition Coward-McCann, New York, 1961, issued in 1961 in two simultaneous formats: a softcover (wrappers) issue in the publisher's contemporary-drama series and a hardcover issue in cloth with dust jacket
• The first printing of either format carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page; the priced dust jacket accompanies the hardcover issue

How Coward-McCann marked a first edition

• After 1935: 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright page for books first published OUTSIDE the US; NO statement made on books first published in the US (so a US-first book carries no edition statement at all).

Full Coward-McCann 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?

The US Coward-McCann 1961 edition is the first book appearance. Both the wrappers and the cloth issues appeared in 1961 and their priority is not firmly settled in the trade, so neither should be presented as the sole true first. Later combined Signet and Plume paperbacks (often pairing the play with The Zoo Story) are reprints, not the first.P-007754

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Combined paperback editions (Signet, Plume) are later reprints. The first printing is distinguished by the absence of a printing history on the copyright page.P-007755

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The American Dream a first edition?

A first edition of The American Dream by Edward Albee (Coward-McCann) is identified by: First edition Coward-McCann, New York, 1961, issued in 1961 in two simultaneous formats: a softcover (wrappers) issue in the publisher's contemporary-drama series and a hardcover issue in cloth with dust jacket.

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. The US Coward-McCann 1961 edition is the first book appearance.

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

Combined paperback editions (Signet, Plume) are later reprints. The first printing is distinguished by the absence of a printing history on the copyright page.

I have a first edition of The American Dream — 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.