Is My The Boys from Brazil a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing's copyright page carries the 'First Edition' statement together with a Random House number line whose lowest digit is 2 — fedpo.com records the line as '2 4 6 8 7 5 3' with 'FIRST EDITION' stated below it
• This is the well-documented Random House quirk in force from roughly 1970 to 2002-03: the 'First Edition' statement stands in for the 1, so the second printing is the same book with the statement deleted, leaving 2 as the low number
• The practical test is therefore the statement, not the line: a copy showing the number line but no 'First Edition' statement is a later printing, and counter-intuitively a 1 in the line for Random House in these years indicates a later printing
• Binding: octavo (approx
• 21.5cm), black cloth spine over gray paper-covered boards, spine titled in silver, with a decorative element (the swastika device) blind-embossed on the front board
• 312 pages

How Random House marked a first edition

• Classic paradox era (c.1970–2002/03) — THE famous Random House rule: a true first printing states 'First Edition' AND carries a number line whose lowest digit is 2 — the line ENDS (or begins) in 2 and NEVER reaches 1, e.…
• Classic-era reprint mechanics (c.1970–2002/03): on going to a second printing Random House simply DELETED the words 'First Edition' from the copyright page and left the number line intact — so a bare '2'-ending line with…

Full Random House 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. 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.
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?

The census claim is confirmed: US Random House (New York) is the true first. It was published March 8, 1976 per Kirkus and reviewed in The New York Times 'Books of The Times' column on March 10, 1976; the UK first from Michael Joseph (London) followed in April 1976 and is separately collected in Britain. Michael Joseph firsts of the period are identified by a 'First published in Great Britain (month, year)' statement on the copyright page, with subsequent printings noted (Quill & Brush). Caution: the Wikipedia infobox gives '21 October 1976' for the Random House edition, which contradicts both the Kirkus release date and the March 1976 NYT review and should not be relied on. First-thus traps: the 1978 film tie-in issue and the later Pegasus Crime Classics reprint.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club printings of this title circulate but no title-specific club collation was located in the sources consulted. Only the general club tells apply — no price present at the jacket flap, a blind-stamped device or dot to the rear board, and lighter bulk/thinner paper than the trade issue. Do not assert a title-specific club point beyond this.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Boys from Brazil a first edition?

A first edition of The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin (Random House) is identified by: The first printing's copyright page carries the 'First Edition' statement together with a Random House number line whose lowest digit is 2 — fedpo.com records the line as '2 4 6 8 7 5 3' with 'FIRST EDITION' stated below it.

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 census claim is confirmed: US Random House (New York) is the true first.

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

Book-club printings of this title circulate but no title-specific club collation was located in the sources consulted. Only the general club tells apply — no price present at the jacket flap, a blind-stamped device or dot to the rear board, and lighter bulk/thinner paper than the trade issue. Do not assert a title-specific club point beyond this.

I have a first edition of The Boys from Brazil — 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.