Is My The Fault in Our Stars a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, published 10 January 2012; octavo, 313 pages, ISBN 9780525478812, in the deep sky blue jacket/spine with black and white lettering
• The only reliable first-printing point is the copyright page: a full number line ending in 1
• The signature is NOT a first-printing point in the ordinary sense and must not be used as one on its own — Green announced he would hand-sign the entire first print run of 150,000 copies, and he did so by signing the sheets at his home in Indianapolis before the books were bound, so the signature is on an integral leaf of the first printing rather than a tipped-in slip; because every first-printing copy is signed, an unsigned copy with a full number line still warrants scrutiny, and a signed copy without the number line is a later state or a tour signature
• Green signed in Sharpie in a range of colours, allocated in proportion to a public vote on colour, so ink colour is not a state point; the census claim of specific "green/yellow/blue" inks is not documented and green is simply the most commonly reported
• Copies commonly carry a publisher's "Signed Copy" sticker on the jacket

How Dutton Books marked a first edition

• Historic E.P. Dutton (founded 1852): first printings often identified by the absence of later-printing statements; many mid-century titles state 'First Edition' or 'First Printing'.
• Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.

Full Dutton Books 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. 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.
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 precedence: Dutton Books, New York, 10 January 2012 is the true first and precedes the UK Penguin edition of 2012. There is no original-language or UK edition competing for precedence — the census claim stands. The later Dutton Collector's Edition (ISBN 9780525426349) and the Penguin Minis are "first thus" only.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented for this title. The census claim conflating "Hanklerfish" with the publisher's signed first printing is wrong and is corrected here: the Hanklerfish is an anglerfish drawn by the author's brother, Hank Green, added at certain stops on the 2012 tour (New Orleans is the stop most often cited), so Hanklerfish copies are tour-signed additions to an already-signed first printing, not a publisher-issued variant of it. Later Dutton printings show a number line beginning at a digit higher than 1; the movie tie-in, Collector's Edition and paperback issues are reprints.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Fault in Our Stars a first edition?

A first edition of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Dutton Books) is identified by: Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, published 10 January 2012; octavo, 313 pages, ISBN 9780525478812, in the deep sky blue jacket/spine with black and white lettering.

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). US precedence: Dutton Books, New York, 10 January 2012 is the true first and precedes the UK Penguin edition of 2012.

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

No book-club edition is documented for this title. The census claim conflating "Hanklerfish" with the publisher's signed first printing is wrong and is corrected here: the Hanklerfish is an anglerfish drawn by the author's brother, Hank Green, added at certain stops on the 2012 tour (New Orleans is the stop most often cited), so Hanklerfish copies are tour-signed additions to an already-signed first printing, not a publisher-issued variant of it. Later Dutton printings show a number line beginni

I have a first edition of The Fault in Our Stars — 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.