The points of issue
Copyright page carries a full number line ending in '1'. ISBN 0-671-44133-7; thick octavo of 886 pp in black cloth. The first-issue jacket shows the printed price on the front flap.
Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster edition is the true first, preceding the UK edition. Won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club hardcover does exist and is offered by dealers; it is distinguished by the absence of the printed price on the jacket and by a blindstamp to the rear board, while lacking the complete '...1' number line of the trade first. The full number line ending in '1' plus the priced jacket identify the first printing.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Making of the Atomic Bomb a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Copyright page carries a full number line ending in '1'. ISBN 0-671-44133-7; thick octavo of 886 pp in black cloth. The first-issue jacket shows the printed price on the front flap.
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 Simon & Schuster edition is the true first, preceding the UK edition. Won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
A book-club hardcover does exist and is offered by dealers; it is distinguished by the absence of the printed price on the jacket and by a blindstamp to the rear board, while lacking the complete '...1' number line of the trade first. The full number line ending in '1' plus the priced jacket identify the first printing.
I have a first edition of The Making of the Atomic Bomb — 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.