Is My The Death of the Heart a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: Victor Gollancz, London, 1938; octavo, bound in the publisher's black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt — the standard Gollancz binding of the period, corroborated by multiple independent ABA/ILAB/PBFA dealer descriptions
• The copyright-page verso of a first impression carries the 'First published 1938' line with no added reprint or impression statement
• Gollancz stated its reprints, so the verso is the deciding point
• The Gollancz wrapper of this vintage habitually tones or browns along the spine panel — two independent dealers describe this as a common fault of Gollancz titles of the period — so an unusually bright spine panel warrants scrutiny for restoration or facsimile
• On unclipped copies the price is present at the front flap
• Sources disagree on the exact leaf count (445 vs

How Victor Gollancz marked a first edition

• Pre-1984: NO first-edition statement was made — first printings carry no 'First published' line; ONLY later printings were noted (so absence of any printing statement = likely first, presence of a reprint note = later)
• For pre-1984 titles, confirm via dust-jacket points, dated jackets, and absence of reprint notation rather than a positive statement

Full Victor Gollancz 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 American 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?

True first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1938 — the census claim is confirmed. The first American edition is Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1939, a separate setting of 418 pp.; dealers identify first printings of it as such, and it carries a priced jacket with the price at the front flap. Both the Gollancz 1938 and the Knopf 1939 are collected, but the London edition has clear precedence. The lower American page count (418 vs. c. 445) is itself a quick discriminator between the two settings.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Death of the Heart was a Book Society choice, and copies of the true Gollancz first are found with the official 'The Book Society' bookplate pasted to the front free endpaper, sometimes carrying Bowen's signature. That bookplate is NOT a book-club-reprint tell: it appears in the publisher's own first edition and should not be mistaken for a club issue. Later Gollancz printings are stated on the copyright-page verso.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Death of the Heart a first edition?

A first edition of The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen (Victor Gollancz) is identified by: First edition, first impression: Victor Gollancz, London, 1938; octavo, bound in the publisher's black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt — the standard Gollancz binding of the period, corroborated by multiple independent ABA/ILAB/PBFA dealer descriptions.

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. True first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1938 — the census claim is confirmed.

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

The Death of the Heart was a Book Society choice, and copies of the true Gollancz first are found with the official 'The Book Society' bookplate pasted to the front free endpaper, sometimes carrying Bowen's signature. That bookplate is NOT a book-club-reprint tell: it appears in the publisher's own first edition and should not be mistaken for a club issue. Later Gollancz printings are stated on the copyright-page verso.

I have a first edition of The Death of the Heart — 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.