The points of issue
Publisher's tan cloth stamped in red and black; copyright page with 1963 first-printing indicia and no later-printing statement; first-state dust jacket priced. The work was first serialized in The New Yorker.
Is this the true first?
US Viking Press (New York), 1963, true first; the UK Faber & Faber edition also appeared in 1963. The 1964 revised and enlarged edition, which adds the author's Postscript, is 'first thus.'
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The widely reprinted text is the 1964 revised edition with the added Postscript; the 1963 first lacks that Postscript.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Bridge over the River Kwai — n/a; instead: Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Publisher's tan cloth stamped in red and black; copyright page with 1963 first-printing indicia and no later-printing statement; first-state dust jacket priced. The work was first serialized in The New Yorker.
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. US Viking Press (New York), 1963, true first; the UK Faber & Faber edition also appeared in 1963. The 1964 revised and enlarged edition, which adds the author's Postscript, is 'first thus.'
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The widely reprinted text is the 1964 revised edition with the added Postscript; the 1963 first lacks that Postscript.
I have a first edition of The Bridge over the River Kwai — n/a; instead: Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil — 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.