Is My The Armageddon Rag a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Poseidon Press hardcover, 1983; the first trade printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
• The full title reads 'The Armageddon Rag: A Stereophonic Long-Playing Novel.' First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap

How Poseidon Press marked a first edition

• Poseidon was a Simon & Schuster imprint and follows S&S copyright-page practice: from 1981 onward S&S imprints identify the printing by a number line, not by a spelled-out 'First Edition' slug. Poseidon books generally d…
• In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the split…

Full Poseidon Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 Poseidon Press trade hardcover (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and a Nemo Press signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition of 500 copies with art by Victor Moscoso appeared essentially simultaneously in 1983; the Poseidon issue is the trade first. The UK edition follows. The novel's commercial failure pushed Martin toward television work.P-010169

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club edition differs: it is typically smaller and lighter, lacks the complete number line, and carries a blind-stamped code on the rear board instead of a jacket price.P-010170

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Armageddon Rag a first edition?

A first edition of The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin (Poseidon Press) is identified by: US Poseidon Press hardcover, 1983; the first trade printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

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). The Poseidon Press trade hardcover (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and a Nemo Press signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition of 500 copies with art by Victor Moscoso appeared essentially simultaneously in 1983; the Poseidon issue is the trade first.

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

Book-club edition differs: it is typically smaller and lighter, lacks the complete number line, and carries a blind-stamped code on the rear board instead of a jacket price.

I have a first edition of The Armageddon Rag — 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.