Is My The Eiger Sanction a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the absence of any printing line
• Later states self-declare and are common on the market: dealers record "Second printing, November 1972", "Fifth printing, December, 1972", and "Sixth printing, March, 1973", all dated within months of publication because the book reprinted rapidly
• 316 pages, bound in orange cloth over boards, lettered in dark blue on the spine
• A priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy
• Caution, stated honestly: sources are inconsistent as to whether the Crown first printing also carries an explicit "First Edition" line — Crown was transitioning to a stated-first and number-row practice during the 1970s, and dealer listings describe copies variously as "First Edition, Third Printing" and as firsts with no additional printings stated
• Rely on the absence of a printing line, not on the presence or absence of the words "First Edition"

How Crown marked a first edition

• Pre-1970s: NO first-edition statement; first printings identified by the ABSENCE of any later-printing notation on the copyright page. Later printings were noted.
• 1970s onward: began using both a number row AND the words 'First Edition'.

Full Crown 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 British 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?

The census claim holds. The true first is Crown Publishers (New York), 1972 — the debut under the Trevanian pseudonym (Rodney William Whitaker) — preceding the British first, Heinemann (London), 1973, by a year. Both are collected: the Crown as the true first, the Heinemann as the UK first. First-thus trap: Crown reissued the novel in May 2005 as a trade paperback in a matched set of five Trevanian titles; that is a reprint, not a first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A Book Club Edition was issued and is documented by dealers. Tells: a blind stamp impressed on the rear board (Book-of-the-Month Club used a dot, circle, or square, sometimes coloured), no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and lighter bulk with cheaper boards; some BOMC jackets also carry a small dot at the lower right of the rear panel. Because the trade jacket is uncommon, unpriced and clipped jackets are a frequent trap on this title — check the rear board rather than inferring from the jacket alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Eiger Sanction a first edition?

A first edition of The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian (Crown) is identified by: Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the absence of any printing line.

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. The census claim holds.

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

A Book Club Edition was issued and is documented by dealers. Tells: a blind stamp impressed on the rear board (Book-of-the-Month Club used a dot, circle, or square, sometimes coloured), no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and lighter bulk with cheaper boards; some BOMC jackets also carry a small dot at the lower right of the rear panel. Because the trade jacket is uncommon, unpriced and clipped jackets are a frequent trap on this title — check the rear board rather than inferring

I have a first edition of The Eiger Sanction — 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.