Is My Copy of 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

• 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 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.P-040720

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 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.

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.

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. 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.