Is My The Gastronomical Me a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first edition, first printing carries the Roman numeral 'I' on the copyright page — Duell, Sloan and Pearce's first-printing convention, with later impressions showing 'II,' 'III,' and so on
• It is bound in the publisher's green cloth stamped in silver at the spine, octavo, 295 pages
• The key jacket point: the first-issue dust jacket bears a romantic reclining-pose photograph of Fisher by George Hurrell on the rear panel; it was withdrawn almost immediately after publication and replaced by a more conservative three-quarter portrait, so a first printing may be encountered in either the withdrawn or the replacement jacket

How Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York marked a first edition

• 1939–1961: First printings are marked either with the words 'First Edition' OR with a Roman numeral 'I' on the copyright page. Later printings are denoted similarly — e.g., 'Second Printing' or 'II.' The presence of 'Fir…

Full Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York 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 true first; there was no preceding or separate UK edition of note, so the 1943 Duell, Sloan and Pearce printing is the true first. It completes the early Fisher run alongside 'Serve It Forth,' 'Consider the Oyster,' and 'How to Cook a Wolf.'

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The North Point Press paperback (1989) and later collected/omnibus printings (notably within 'The Art of Eating') are the common later texts; a green-cloth copy showing a later-printing numeral rather than 'I' on the copyright page is a subsequent Duell, Sloan and Pearce impression, not the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Gastronomical Me a first edition?

A first edition of The Gastronomical Me by M. F. K. Fisher (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York) is identified by: The first edition, first printing carries the Roman numeral 'I' on the copyright page — Duell, Sloan and Pearce's first-printing convention, with later impressions showing 'II,' 'III,' and so on.

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 true first; there was no preceding or separate UK edition of note, so the 1943 Duell, Sloan and Pearce printing is the true first.

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

The North Point Press paperback (1989) and later collected/omnibus printings (notably within 'The Art of Eating') are the common later texts; a green-cloth copy showing a later-printing numeral rather than 'I' on the copyright page is a subsequent Duell, Sloan and Pearce impression, not the first.

I have a first edition of The Gastronomical Me — 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.