Is My The Divine Invasion a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Timescape Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster) first hardcover, ISBN 0-671-41776-5; the copyright page carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and the correct first-printing dust jacket bears the date code 0681 on the rear flap
• The first-state jacket carries its printed price (not clipped) and reproduces the cover painting by Rowena Morrill
• Second book of the VALIS trilogy

How Timescape/Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• ERA 3 — Number-line introduction (mid-1973–1980): S&S adopted a copyright-page number line. Read the lowest number present: a line whose lowest digit is 1 is a first printing (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' or the descendin…
• ERA 4 — The signature non-sequential line (1981–present): S&S's hallmark line is the scrambled sequence '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2'. The rule is presence-of-lowest-number, NOT last-digit: if 1 is present (as the lowest number…

Full Timescape/Simon & Schuster first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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?

The US Timescape first hardcover is the true first. It was the last book by Dick published during his lifetime; he died about eight months after publication.P-024853

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1981 book-club edition has no printed price on the jacket, a smaller and lighter binding, and lacks the 0681 flap date code; identify the true first by the complete number line ending in 1 and the 0681 code.P-024854

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Divine Invasion a first edition?

A first edition of The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick (Timescape/Simon & Schuster) is identified by: Timescape Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster) first hardcover, ISBN 0-671-41776-5; the copyright page carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and the correct first-printing dust jacket bears the date code 0681 on the rear flap.

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

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US Timescape first hardcover is the true first.

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

The 1981 book-club edition has no printed price on the jacket, a smaller and lighter binding, and lacks the 0681 flap date code; identify the true first by the complete number line ending in 1 and the 0681 code.

I have a first edition of The Divine Invasion — 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.