Is My The Iron Man a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: London, Faber and Faber, 1968, published 26 February 1968, with drawings by George Adamson
• Faber firsts of this period state 'First published in [year]' on the copyright page and note subsequent printings ('Second impression' and so on); no number line was used at this date, so the test is the first-publication line together with the absence of any impression statement
• Faber was changing the year format from lowercase Roman numerals to Arabic numerals right around 1968 — reference sources place the switch at exactly this date — so the numeral style is not usable as a point for this title
• Issued in pictorial boards, the dust wrapper repeating the Adamson board design to front and spine; the wrapper should be unclipped with the price present at the flap
• Title-page title reads 'The Iron Man: A Story in Five Nights'

How Faber & Faber marked a first edition

• Prior to 1968 the year was set in ROMAN NUMERALS (e.g. 'First published in mcmliv'); from 1968 onward Arabic numerals were used — a key dating tell

Full Faber & Faber 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 indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

UK Faber and Faber (London), 26 February 1968 is the true first. The first American edition is Harper & Row, New York, 23 October 1968, retitled 'The Iron Giant' — the title and the internal references to the metal man were altered to avoid confusion with the Marvel Comics character, and it was newly illustrated by Robert Nadler rather than Adamson. Both are collected: the Faber as the true first, the Harper as the first American edition and the first appearance of the altered American text. Harper firsts of this date state 'First Edition' on the copyright page.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. Later Faber impressions retain the 1968 first-publication line and add an impression statement — that added line is the tell. Beware 'first thus' offerings of the later Faber reissue illustrated by Andrew Davidson and the 2010 Walker Books/Faber edition illustrated by Laura Carlin; these are new illustrated editions, not first printings. Note a live source conflict: the Ted Hughes Society page credits Andrew Davidson as illustrator of the 1968 first, which is contradicted by dealer and reference descriptions crediting George Adamson.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Iron Man a first edition?

A first edition of The Iron Man by Ted Hughes (Faber & Faber) is identified by: First edition, first impression: London, Faber and Faber, 1968, published 26 February 1968, with drawings by George Adamson.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. UK Faber and Faber (London), 26 February 1968 is the true first.

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

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. Later Faber impressions retain the 1968 first-publication line and add an impression statement — that added line is the tell. Beware 'first thus' offerings of the later Faber reissue illustrated by Andrew Davidson and the 2010 Walker Books/Faber edition illustrated by Laura Carlin; these are new illustrated editions, not first printings. Note a live source conflict: the Ted Hughes Society page credits Andrew Davidson as illustrator of th

I have a first edition of The Iron Man — 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.