The points of issue
Two distinct issues. The trade first edition states "First edition" with a full number line and carries a first-state dust jacket priced 20.00. The signed limited edition of 500 copies is individually numbered, bound in burgundy cloth, signed by Welty, and issued in a publisher's slipcase WITHOUT a dust jacket (none was issued for the limited).
Is this the true first?
US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich first edition; first-thus collected gathering. The signed limited (500 copies, slipcased) is the premium issue and was issued alongside the trade printing, not the trade jacket.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club issues lack the number line and the priced first-state jacket. Do not look for a dust jacket on the signed limited — it was issued in a slipcase only, so a jacketed copy of the limited would be a mismatch.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Two distinct issues. The trade first edition states "First edition" with a full number line and carries a first-state dust jacket priced 20.00. The signed limited edition of 500 copies is individually numbered, bound in burgundy cloth, signed by Welty, and issued in a publisher's slipcase WITHOUT a dust jacket (none was issued for the limited).
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 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich first edition; first-thus collected gathering. The signed limited (500 copies, slipcased) is the premium issue and was issued alongside the trade printing, not the trade jacket.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club issues lack the number line and the priced first-state jacket. Do not look for a dust jacket on the signed limited — it was issued in a slipcase only, so a jacketed copy of the limited would be a mismatch.
I have a first edition of The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty — 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.