Is My The Deer Park a First Edition?

The points of issue

• G. P. Putnam's Sons placed no statement on first editions in this period; the first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any printing statement, the copyright page reading only the 1955 copyright notice
• Later printings add the words 'First printed' followed by the relevant dates beneath the copyright notice, so a printing history under the copyright is a disqualifier
• This absence-of-statement convention is confirmed by two independent publisher-identification guides
• Bound in black cloth/paper-covered boards, lettered on the spine and front panel in a light blue-green (dealers describe the lettering colour variously as green and light blue-green), in the publisher's priced jacket (price present at the front flap)
• CAUTION: a supposed 'first state, with fourth on page 20' point circulates online, but it traces to a single dealer's listing (which itself notes that 'most copies do not mention the first state point on page 20') and is not corroborated by any bibliography, including J. Michael Lennon's Norman Mailer: Works and Days
• It is not treated here as an established point and should not be relied on

How G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York marked a first edition

• PRE-1928 (early independent house): Putnam printed NO first-edition statement. Identify a first by matching the copyright-page year to the title-page year with no reprint/later-printing notice on the copyright page. Afte…
• US, 1928–1959: still NO positive first-edition statement — firsts are identified by ABSENCE. Later printings add a dated 'First printed' (and subsequent-printing) notice beneath the copyright notice; a copyright page lac…

Full G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 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 G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1955 is the true first and the edition collected — the census claim is correct. Rinehart & Company, Mailer's publisher, had already typeset the book but rejected it on grounds of obscenity and claimed the manuscript voided its contract; no Rinehart edition was published, so despite the proof-stage history there is no earlier issue to collect. The first British edition is Allan Wingate, London, 1957, bound in French blue cloth with the spine stamped in gilt; it follows the US issue and is collected only as the UK first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is specifically documented for this title in the sources consulted. The decisive reprint tell is the positive one: 'First printed' plus dates under the copyright notice marks a later Putnam printing, and dealers list fifth-printing copies still dated 1955 on the title page, so the date alone proves nothing. Distinct-work trap: The Deer Park: A Play (1967) is a separate title, not a reissue of the novel.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Deer Park a first edition?

A first edition of The Deer Park by Norman Mailer (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York) is identified by: Putnam's Sons placed no statement on first editions in this period; the first printing is identified by the ABSENCE of any printing statement, the copyright page reading only the 1955 copyright notice.

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 G.

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

No book-club issue is specifically documented for this title in the sources consulted. The decisive reprint tell is the positive one: 'First printed' plus dates under the copyright notice marks a later Putnam printing, and dealers list fifth-printing copies still dated 1955 on the title page, so the date alone proves nothing. Distinct-work trap: The Deer Park: A Play (1967) is a separate title, not a reissue of the novel.

I have a first edition of The Deer Park — 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.