The points of issue
Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label; top edge stained red. Octavo, 260 pp. The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first issue is in the dust jacket with the printed price at the foot of the front flap. Later printings are stated (for example 'Third Printing'). Identify the first by the absence of any later-printing statement together with the original priced jacket rather than by a 'First Printing' slug.
Is this the true first?
The US Random House 1946 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition. Signed examples are author-inscribed trade copies, not a separate issue.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page. No prominent book-club edition is the collecting target; the first trade printing in the priced jacket is.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Iceman Cometh a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label; top edge stained red. Octavo, 260 pp. The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first issue is in the dust jacket with the printed price at the foot of the front flap. Later printings are stated (for example 'Third Printing'). Identify the first by the absence of any later-printing statement together with the original priced jacket rather than by a 'First Printing' slug.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Random House 1946 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition. Signed examples are author-inscribed trade copies, not a separate issue.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page. No prominent book-club edition is the collecting target; the first trade printing in the priced jacket is.
I have a first edition of The Iceman Cometh — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.