Is My Copy of The Gods of Mars a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is Chicago, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1918, issued 28 September 1918
• Copyright page of the first printing reads 'Published September, 1918' AND carries the printer credit 'W. F. HALL PRINTING COMPANY, CHICAGO'; reference practice (First Edition Points) treats a copy with the McClurg 1918 title page but WITHOUT the W. F. Hall imprint as a later state, so the Hall credit is the decisive point rather than the 'Published September' line alone
• Binding: publisher's red cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black with the front panel also stamped in blind
• Octavo, 348 pp., with an inserted sepia frontispiece by Frank E. Schoonover repeating the jacket art
• First printing 10,000 copies
• McClurg printed at least twice, the later printing dated 1919

How A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago marked a first edition

• 1900-1930s: continued reliance on the dated title page; later printings often added 'Published (month, year)' impression lines on the copyright page, so absence of such later dates indicates a first printing. For key…

Full A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago 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 original — the McClurg Chicago 1918 edition precedes all others and is the true first in book form. The first UK edition is separately collected and should be named: Methuen & Co., London, 1920, with 'First published in Great Britain in 1920' stated on the copyright page, in green cloth lettered black. The text first appeared serially in All-Story, January–May 1913, so the 1918 McClurg is the first book appearance, not the first publication of the text.P-042049

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Grosset & Dunlap reprinted the title from 1919 onward: the G&D imprint appears at the spine foot and on the title page, and the early Burroughs G&D reprints are bound in the house tan-grey cloth with darker lettering rather than McClurg's red cloth — cloth colour plus imprint is the fastest tell. Separately, later McClurg printings (through 1919) retain the McClurg imprint but lack the W. F. Hall printing credit; these are the copies most often mis-sold as firsts.P-042050

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Gods of Mars a first edition?

A first edition of The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago) is identified by: The true first is Chicago, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1918, issued 28 September 1918.

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 original — the McClurg Chicago 1918 edition precedes all others and is the true first in book form.

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

Grosset & Dunlap reprinted the title from 1919 onward: the G&D imprint appears at the spine foot and on the title page, and the early Burroughs G&D reprints are bound in the house tan-grey cloth with darker lettering rather than McClurg's red cloth — cloth colour plus imprint is the fastest tell. Separately, later McClurg printings (through 1919) retain the McClurg imprint but lack the W. F. Hall printing credit; these are the copies most often mis-sold as firsts.

I have a first edition of The Gods of Mars — 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.