Is My Copy of The Fashion in Shrouds a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Heinemann issue, London and Toronto, 1938: original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, publisher's device blind-stamped to the rear board, grey-green endpapers
• It collates 3 preliminary leaves plus 437 pages, 21 cm (Library of Congress, LCCN 38022497)
• Heinemann first impressions of this period carry only the 'First published 1938' line on the title verso; any 'New impression' or dated reprint line added beneath it rules the copy out
• The jacket is by Youngman Carter (Allingham's husband) and should be a priced jacket with the price present at the flap
• The first American edition (Doubleday, Doran, New York, 1938, LCCN 38027954) is a separate 310-page setting and states 'First Edition' on the copyright page — the 437-page vs 310-page collation is the fastest way to tell the two 1938 issues apart

How William Heinemann marked a first edition

• From the 1920s onward: "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" stated on the copyright page, with later impressions noted beneath

Full William Heinemann 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 UK 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?

UK precedes. Heinemann, London published in June or July 1938 (Margery Allingham Society); the Doubleday, Doran first American edition followed the same year and was registered later at the Library of Congress (38022497 before 38027954). Both are collected — the Heinemann as the true first, the Doubleday, Doran as the first American — and ABAA/ILAB dealers consistently describe the Doubleday as 'first U.S. edition' rather than the first. No title change between markets.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Sun Dial Press, Doubleday's cheap-reprint imprint, issued a New York reprint in 1939 from the same 310-page setting as the Doubleday, Doran first American edition (Library of Congress, LCCN 39032049); a Sun Dial imprint on spine or title page is always a reprint. On the US side, a Doubleday, Doran copyright page lacking the 'First Edition' line is a later printing. No book-club printing of the Heinemann issue is documented in the sources consulted.P-040431

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Fashion in Shrouds a first edition?

A first edition of The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham (William Heinemann) is identified by: True first is the Heinemann issue, London and Toronto, 1938: original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, publisher's device blind-stamped to the rear board, grey-green endpapers.

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. UK precedes.

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

The Sun Dial Press, Doubleday's cheap-reprint imprint, issued a New York reprint in 1939 from the same 310-page setting as the Doubleday, Doran first American edition (Library of Congress, LCCN 39032049); a Sun Dial imprint on spine or title page is always a reprint. On the US side, a Doubleday, Doran copyright page lacking the 'First Edition' line is a later printing. No book-club printing of the Heinemann issue is documented in the sources consulted.

I have a first edition of The Fashion in Shrouds — 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.