Is My Copy of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, three-volume hardcover boxed set, Andrews McMeel, 2005
• First printing identified by the number line and the original slipcase/box
• First-print sets predate the multiple later reprints of the boxed set
• The much earlier first book collection, 'Calvin and Hobbes' (Andrews McMeel, 1987, a trade paperback), is the earliest book appearance and a separate collectible

How Andrews McMeel Publishing marked a first edition

• Standard descending number line on the copyright page; presence of '1' indicates a first printing.
• Comic-strip collections (the core catalog) are dated by copyright year and carry the number line; some titles also print an explicit 'First Printing' / 'First Edition' line.

Full Andrews McMeel Publishing 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 indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

US true first of the complete collection. The 1987 'Calvin and Hobbes' first collection is the earliest book appearance and a distinct collectible. Keep the 2005 complete set separate from the 1987 first collection.P-003150

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition; later printings of the boxed set are common. Verify the first-printing number line and the 2005 date, and confirm the original packaging, since first-print sets are identified by both the number line and the original box.P-003151

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes a first edition?

A first edition of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel Publishing) is identified by: First edition, three-volume hardcover boxed set, Andrews McMeel, 2005.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. US true first of the complete collection.

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

No book-club edition; later printings of the boxed set are common. Verify the first-printing number line and the 2005 date, and confirm the original packaging, since first-print sets are identified by both the number line and the original box.

I have a first edition of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes — 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.