Is My The Book of the Unnamed Midwife a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Sybaritic Press trade paperback, published 5 June 2014, ISBN 978-1-4951-1636-0, 190 pages; a small-press original and Elison's debut novel
• As a small-press paperback there is no dust jacket and no publisher's number line, so the Sybaritic imprint, the 2014 date, and the 1-4951-1636-0 ISBN on the copyright page are the identifying points

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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 US 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 US Sybaritic Press 2014 edition is the true first; the 47North edition (2016, ISBN 9781503939110) is a later reissue or first thus. Won the Philip K. Dick Award presented for 2014. The small-press Sybaritic printing is genuinely scarce and is the desirable first.P-021443

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 47North 2016 reissue is a reprint, not the true first; most copies in circulation are the 47North reissue.P-021444

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife a first edition?

A first edition of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (Sybaritic Press) is identified by: US Sybaritic Press trade paperback, published 5 June 2014, ISBN 978-1-4951-1636-0, 190 pages; a small-press original and Elison's debut novel.

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 US Sybaritic Press 2014 edition is the true first; the 47North edition (2016, ISBN 9781503939110) is a later reissue or first thus.

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

The 47North 2016 reissue is a reprint, not the true first; most copies in circulation are the 47North reissue.

I have a first edition of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife — 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.