Is My The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the form "First published 1952 / Second impression...", so a first impression shows a 1952 title page with the copyright line alone — "Copyright 1952 Daphne du Maurier" — and no impression notice below it
• The binding is publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt; the jacket is by Val Biro and should be present, priced and unclipped at the front flap
• Collation is 264 pages, and the contents are six pieces: "Monte Verità," "The Birds," "The Apple Tree," "The Little Photographer," "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" and "The Old Man." Subtitle caution: this book is recorded by cataloguers and dealers both as "A Short Novel and Several Long Stories" and as "A Short Novel and Some Stories" — the latter is the Library of Congress form under LCCN 52040861 — and we could not resolve from available sources which form the title page carries; in any case the point does not distinguish printings

How Victor Gollancz, London 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, London 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?

Victor Gollancz (London), 1952, is the true first, and it is the first book appearance of "The Birds" — the census claim is confirmed. The American edition is not a simple retitling and both are collected: Doubleday (Garden City), 1953, appeared as "Kiss Me Again, Stranger: A Collection of Eight Stories, Long and Short" and is expanded, adding "The Split Second" and "No Motive." The 1952 memorandum of agreement between du Maurier and Gollancz covered British Commonwealth rights only, with Doubleday holding the United States separately, which is why the two editions differ in contents rather than merely in name. Doubleday's practice in this period was to state "First Edition" on the copyright page and to drop the statement on later printings, but dealer cataloguing of this particular title is inconsistent on the point, so a US copy should be verified rather than assumed. A third trap: Penguin's 1963 retitling as "The Birds and Other Stories" is this same collection under a new name and is a paperback reissue, never a first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Gollancz second and later impressions are stated on the title-page verso and are the ordinary trap; unjacketed "second impression" copies circulate freely and are catalogued as such. On the American side the risk is Doubleday book-club printings, which lack the copyright-page edition statement. Facsimile jackets for this title are sold by reproduction specialists, so a bright Val Biro jacket on an otherwise worn book warrants inspection.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories a first edition?

A first edition of The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories by Daphne du Maurier (Victor Gollancz, London) is identified by: Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the form "First published 1952 / Second impression...", so a first impression shows a 1952 title page with the copyright line alone — "Copyright 1952 Daphne du Maurier" — and no impression notice below it.

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. Victor Gollancz (London), 1952, is the true first, and it is the first book appearance of "The Birds" — the census claim is confirmed.

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

Gollancz second and later impressions are stated on the title-page verso and are the ordinary trap; unjacketed "second impression" copies circulate freely and are catalogued as such. On the American side the risk is Doubleday book-club printings, which lack the copyright-page edition statement. Facsimile jackets for this title are sold by reproduction specialists, so a bright Val Biro jacket on an otherwise worn book warrants inspection.

I have a first edition of The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories — 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.