Is My Copy of The Blunderer a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, 1954
• Because the book was first published in the United States, Coward-McCann applied NO edition statement at all — the first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any later-printing notice on the copyright page
• The firm reserved the "First American Edition" statement for books first published abroad, so its presence would indicate a different book, not a later state of this one
• Coward-McCann was not wholly consistent, but later printings are generally noted
• Bound in black cloth (described by one dealer as black cloth-grain paper over boards) lettered on the spine in red, which a second dealer describes as magenta
• 277, [1] pp, approximately 8 x 5.25 inches

How Coward-McCann marked a first edition

• After 1935: 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright page for books first published OUTSIDE the US; NO statement made on books first published in the US (so a US-first book carries no edition statement at all).

Full Coward-McCann 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 Coward-McCann 1954 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition by two years. The first British edition is The Cresset Press, London, 1956 — red textured paper boards, 284 pp, with an uncredited dust jacket — and is separately collected as the first UK appearance. Important "first thus" trap: the retitled Lament for a Lover is the 1956 Popular Library US paperback, NOT the British edition. Goodreads and several secondary sources wrongly state that the title was changed to Lament for a Lover "in England"; the Cresset Press UK first retained the title The Blunderer, as confirmed by dealer listings and a collector census of the British first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No dedicated book-club printing of the 1954 Coward-McCann issue was documented in the sources consulted, so no title-specific club tells can be given. Apply the generic tells only: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small dot to the rear board, lighter bulk, and cheaper paper.P-042279

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Blunderer a first edition?

A first edition of The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith (Coward-McCann) is identified by: Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, 1954.

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 Coward-McCann 1954 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition by two years.

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

No dedicated book-club printing of the 1954 Coward-McCann issue was documented in the sources consulted, so no title-specific club tells can be given. Apply the generic tells only: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small dot to the rear board, lighter bulk, and cheaper paper.

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

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.