Is My The Go-Between a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and the top edge stained red
• The dust jacket artwork is by Val Biro, whose design is the only jacket art carried by the true first; the priced jacket has the price present at the flap, and jackets are frequently found clipped
• Hamish Hamilton used no number line in this period, so identification rests on the copyright-page statement: the first impression records first publication in 1953 with no added impression line
• Further impressions were called for within 1953 itself, and dealers record third and later 1953 impressions distinguished by an impression statement added to the verso — a 1953 title-page date alone therefore does not establish a first printing

How Hamish Hamilton marked a first edition

• First printing = statement present with no list of later impressions

Full Hamish Hamilton 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 American 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?

Hamish Hamilton (London), 1953, is the true first; Alfred A. Knopf (New York) published the first American edition in 1954, so the London printing precedes it by a clear year. Both editions are collected, but the Hamish Hamilton is the precedence copy and the Knopf is correctly described only as the first American edition. Treat with suspicion any listing pairing a Hamish Hamilton imprint with an 'American first edition' description — the Knopf sheets carry the Knopf imprint and a 1954 date.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Go-Between was a Book Society Choice, and dealer listings record the 1953 first printing as issued in association with The Book Society; the association is marked by a wrap-around Book Society band on the jacket (usually absent) rather than by a separate, cheaper club binding. This is therefore not the usual book-club trap — a 1953 Hamish Hamilton copy is not disqualified by the Book Society association. No distinct 1953 book-club binding was documented in the sources consulted; later reprints carry dated and stated impression lines on the verso.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Go-Between a first edition?

A first edition of The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley (Hamish Hamilton) is identified by: The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and the top edge stained red.

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). Hamish Hamilton (London), 1953, is the true first; Alfred A.

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

The Go-Between was a Book Society Choice, and dealer listings record the 1953 first printing as issued in association with The Book Society; the association is marked by a wrap-around Book Society band on the jacket (usually absent) rather than by a separate, cheaper club binding. This is therefore not the usual book-club trap — a 1953 Hamish Hamilton copy is not disqualified by the Book Society association. No distinct 1953 book-club binding was documented in the sources consulted; later reprin

I have a first edition of The Go-Between — 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.