Is My The Anti-Death League a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine
• Dealer descriptions of the cloth colour vary (reported both as olive-brown and as green), so treat cloth shade as secondary to the printing statement — a first impression shows only 'First published 1966' on the verso with no later-impression line (no number line)
• The distinctive original dust jacket is a wrap-around design by Raymond Hawkey with photography by Adrian Flowers, price present at the front flap (unclipped on a first-issue jacket)
• Two traps: a scarce 1966 uncorrected proof, and a 1972 Gollancz reissue for the New Fiction Society (a second impression, frequently signed) — verify 'First published 1966' with no reprint line

How Victor Gollancz marked a first edition

• Pre-1984: NO first-edition statement was made — first printings carry no 'First published' line; ONLY later printings were noted (so absence of any printing statement = likely first, presence of a reprint note = later)
• For pre-1984 titles, confirm via dust-jacket points, dated jackets, and absence of reprint notation rather than a positive statement

Full Victor Gollancz 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 UK 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?

UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1966 is the true first. The first American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World (New York), also appeared in 1966; it is a separately collected same-year issue, but the British printing holds priority.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1972 New Fiction Society printing is a later Gollancz impression, not the first, despite often being signed; the US Ballantine paperback (1967) is a later reprint.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Anti-Death League a first edition?

A first edition of The Anti-Death League by Kingsley Amis (Victor Gollancz) is identified by: The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine.

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). UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1966 is the true first.

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

The 1972 New Fiction Society printing is a later Gollancz impression, not the first, despite often being signed; the US Ballantine paperback (1967) is a later reprint.

I have a first edition of The Anti-Death League — 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.