Is My The Big Sleep a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing (Bruccoli A1.1.a), collating [viii], 277, [1, note on the type], [2, blank] pages, with 'FIRST EDITION' and the Borzoi device on the copyright page and the line 'Published February, 1939.' Bound in publisher's orange V-cloth, the spine and front board lettered and decorated in blue with the Borzoi device stamped in blue on the rear board, and the top edge stained blue
• First-issue dust jacket bears the Hans J. Barschel artwork, carries its printed price on the front flap, and shows the correct first-state design without later review blurbs

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf 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?

US Knopf, February 1939, is the true first (Bruccoli A1.1.a); the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1939) follows. Chandler's first book and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone; author-signed firsts are scarce.P-025307

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club copies are blind-stamped on the rear board, lack the 'Published February, 1939' line, and are issued in unpriced jackets; they also differ in cloth and board weight from the Knopf trade first.P-025308

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Big Sleep a first edition?

A first edition of The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: First printing (Bruccoli A1.1.a), collating [viii], 277, [1, note on the type], [2, blank] pages, with 'FIRST EDITION' and the Borzoi device on the copyright page and the line 'Published February, 1939.' Bound in publisher's orange V-cloth, the spine and front board lettered and decorated in blue with the Borzoi device stamped in blue on the rear board, and the top edge stained blue.

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. US Knopf, February 1939, is the true first (Bruccoli A1.1.a); the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1939) follows.

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

Book-club copies are blind-stamped on the rear board, lack the 'Published February, 1939' line, and are issued in unpriced jackets; they also differ in cloth and board weight from the Knopf trade first.

I have a first edition of The Big Sleep — 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.