Skip to main content

First-Edition Identification · Wallace Stevens

Is My The Auroras of Autumn a First Edition?

Alfred A. Knopf, 1950

The points of issue

First edition, one of 3,000 copies, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi device and no additional printing noted. Issued in dark blue cloth lettered in gilt, in a dust jacket.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Alfred A. Knopf first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

The US Knopf edition is the true first; there is no prior UK edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book club edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Auroras of Autumn a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: First edition, one of 3,000 copies, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi device and no additional printing noted. Issued in dark blue cloth lettered in gilt, in a dust jacket.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Knopf edition is the true first; there is no prior UK edition.

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

No book club edition.

I have a first edition of The Auroras of Autumn — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

Keep identifying