Is My Copy of The "Canary" Murder Case a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Scribner's pre-1930 practice governs this book: until 1930 the Scribner seal (the publisher's device/colophon) and the date of publication generally appear on the copyright page of first editions, with subsequent printings noted — a rule the ILAB and Quill & Brush (qbbooks) tables state independently
• CRITICAL TRAP: the famous Scribner capital "A" on the copyright page begins only in 1930
• Its absence from a 1927 Canary is normal and is NOT evidence of a later printing; anyone applying the "A" test to this title will misidentify a genuine first
• Reported by an ABAA dealer describing the first printing: publisher's black cloth stamped in green, plain endpapers, octavo (about 19.5cm), collating [ii], [xii], 343, [3] pages, with a one-page publisher's advertisement at the rear and a list of titles at the front
• The title is styled with "Canary" in quotation marks on the title page
• Jacket: identification only — a priced jacket, with the price present at the flap

How Charles Scribner's Sons marked a first edition

• Pre-1930: Scribner seal/device plus month-and-year of publication on copyright page; first printings either carry matching dates on title page and copyright page or show no later printings noted.

Full Charles Scribner's Sons 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 Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1927 is the first edition (Wikipedia's infobox gives Scribner's / 1927 / United States; an ABAA dealer catalogues the Scribner first printing). A UK edition was published by Ernest Benn Ltd., London, 1927 — confirmed by a dealer listing, and Benn is corroborated as Van Dine's early UK publisher by a Benn first edition of The Benson Murder Case, 1926. British Van Dine editions are scarce. Scribner's preceding Benn is the expected sequence for a US author but is not documented in any source consulted; treat the direction as probable rather than established. Second Philo Vance novel.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Grosset & Dunlap issued reprints of this title; a Grosset & Dunlap copy carries the Grosset imprint on the title page and spine rather than Scribner's and is not the first. On a Scribner copy, a later printing noted on the copyright page is the operative reprint tell.P-040475

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The "Canary" Murder Case a first edition?

A first edition of The "Canary" Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (Willard Huntington Wright) (Charles Scribner's Sons) is identified by: Scribner's pre-1930 practice governs this book: until 1930 the Scribner seal (the publisher's device/colophon) and the date of publication generally appear on the copyright page of first editions, with subsequent printings noted — a rule the ILAB and Quill & Brush (qbbooks) tables state independently.

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 Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1927 is the first edition (Wikipedia's infobox gives Scribner's / 1927 / United States; an ABAA dealer catalogues the Scribner first printing).

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

Grosset & Dunlap issued reprints of this title; a Grosset & Dunlap copy carries the Grosset imprint on the title page and spine rather than Scribner's and is not the first. On a Scribner copy, a later printing noted on the copyright page is the operative reprint tell.

I have a first edition of The "Canary" Murder Case — 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.