Is My The Civil War: A Narrative (Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing states 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (removed on later printings), per Random House practice of the period
• Volume I is in publisher's cloth with the spine tan and gray, lettered in red and black, top edge stained, and cartographic endpapers; the 141 maps were drawn by George Annand
• The first-state dust jacket is priced (price present at the flap) and carries the code '11/58' at the flap; publisher-signed sets have a blank leaf tipped in between the half-title and title page

How Random House marked a first edition

• Stated-edition era (c.1936–1975): trade first printings are plainly marked with the words 'First Edition' (or, on some earlier titles, 'First Printing') on the copyright page, with NO number line yet in use; a copyright…
• Divisional practice — share the STATEMENT, not the '2'-line: sister divisions state 'First Edition' as their firsts (Alfred A. Knopf consistently since 1933–34; Pantheon since 1964), so the words work across the family.…

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. 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-only true first: Random House, New York — Vol. 1 (Fort Sumter to Perryville) 1958, Vol. 2 (Fredericksburg to Meridian) 1963, Vol. 3 (Red River to Appomattox) 1974. No UK precedence issue; the collectible object is the matched trilogy in first printings, each with its own dated first-state priced jacket.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Distinguish the 1958 first printing (states 'FIRST PRINTING') from later Random House printings that keep the 1958 date but drop the statement, and from the ubiquitous Vintage Civil War Library paperbacks. Signed later-printing copies exist and are not first printings.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Civil War: A Narrative (Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville) a first edition?

A first edition of The Civil War: A Narrative (Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville) by Shelby Foote (Random House) is identified by: First printing states 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (removed on later printings), per Random House practice of the period.

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-only true first: Random House, New York — Vol.

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

Distinguish the 1958 first printing (states 'FIRST PRINTING') from later Random House printings that keep the 1958 date but drop the statement, and from the ubiquitous Vintage Civil War Library paperbacks. Signed later-printing copies exist and are not first printings.

I have a first edition of The Civil War: A Narrative (Vol. 1, Fort Sumter to Perryville) — 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.