Is My The Fields a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printings state "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page, consistent with Knopf's practice from about 1933-34 onward; the Borzoi device and the "This is a Borzoi Book" line are house furniture on all Knopf titles and are not first-printing points
• The decisive trap on this title is Knopf's before-publication printings: copies whose copyright page records a second printing before publication are SECOND printings despite carrying the same 1946 date, and dealers catalog such copies verbatim as "stated second printing before publication, 1946" — reference guides confirm that a "First and second printings before publication" line means a second printing
• Collation is viii plus 288 pages, with typography and binding designed by W. A. Dwiggins; deckle edges are reported
• The pictorial jacket carries the price at the flap and unclipped copies retain it
• Dealer descriptions of the cloth conflict sharply (brown stamped in burnt red and maroon, orange, tan-and-brown, gold), so cloth color is NOT a reliable point on this title

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf 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 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-only first: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, published 28 March 1946 — the census claim of a Knopf first is confirmed, and no UK edition precedes it in the records consulted (the Transworld British paperback dates only to 1958). Written in English, so no original-language precedence question arises. The census description is accurate: this is the middle volume of the Awakening Land trilogy, standing between The Trees (Knopf, 1940) and The Town (Knopf, 1950).

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The main "first thus" trap is the omnibus: The Awakening Land, collecting all three novels in one volume, was first issued by Knopf in September 1966 and is not a first of The Fields. The likeliest misidentification, however, is the before-publication second printing described above, which shares the 1946 date and the Knopf imprint and is distinguished only by the copyright-page wording. No Knopf book-club edition of this title is documented in the sources consulted.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Fields a first edition?

A first edition of The Fields by Conrad Richter (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: First printings state "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page, consistent with Knopf's practice from about 1933-34 onward; the Borzoi device and the "This is a Borzoi Book" line are house furniture on all Knopf titles and are not first-printing points.

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. US-only first: Alfred A.

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

The main "first thus" trap is the omnibus: The Awakening Land, collecting all three novels in one volume, was first issued by Knopf in September 1966 and is not a first of The Fields. The likeliest misidentification, however, is the before-publication second printing described above, which shares the 1946 date and the Knopf imprint and is distinguished only by the copyright-page wording. No Knopf book-club edition of this title is documented in the sources consulted.

I have a first edition of The Fields — 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.