Is My The Light Fantastic a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Colin Smythe Ltd hardcover, 1986, with the first-published statement on the copyright page and no reprint line
• Full wrap-around dust-jacket art by Josh Kirby (his first Discworld cover)
• Second Discworld novel. with its printed price

How Colin Smythe marked a first edition

• No printer's number line on the Colin Smythe hardbacks. On its 1970s-80s first editions (The Carpet People 1971, Strata 1981, The Colour of Magic 1983, The Light Fantastic 1986) Smythe relied on a stated 'First published…
• A true first impression shows the 'First published in [year]...' statement and carries NO 'Reprinted 19XX' line. The presence of a 'Reprinted 19..' line on the copyright page marks a later impression; a first has none. (…

Full Colin Smythe first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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?

The UK Colin Smythe 1986 hardcover is the world first. The US hardcover appeared only as a Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club edition (dated 1987 on the copyright page), and the Corgi paperback follows.P-030940

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Doubleday SF Book Club edition (copyright page reads 'First Published in 1987 by Colin Smythe Limited') and Corgi paperbacks are not the true first. Confirm the Colin Smythe hardcover imprint and the 1986 first-printing statement.P-030941

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Light Fantastic a first edition?

A first edition of The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (Colin Smythe) is identified by: True first is the Colin Smythe Ltd hardcover, 1986, with the first-published statement on the copyright page and no reprint line.

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. The UK Colin Smythe 1986 hardcover is the world first.

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

The Doubleday SF Book Club edition (copyright page reads 'First Published in 1987 by Colin Smythe Limited') and Corgi paperbacks are not the true first. Confirm the Colin Smythe hardcover imprint and the 1986 first-printing statement.

I have a first edition of The Light Fantastic — 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.