Is My The Motion of Light in Water a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages
• Arbor House hardcover in blue cloth, issued in a priced dust jacket whose front flap carries the printed price; jacket art by Jack Gaughan
• The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1 to identify the first printing
• ISBN 0-87795-947-1
• Not a paperback original

How Arbor House / William Morrow marked a first edition

• Check for a descending number line on the copyright page (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). The lowest number present indicates the printing, so a line that still includes '1' marks a first printing; a line whose lowest digi…
• Use the two marks together as the strongest confirmation: a first printing of a 1980s Arbor House hardcover generally shows a 'First Edition' statement together with a complete number line ending in 1. Where only the num…

Full Arbor House / William Morrow 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 number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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 Arbor House hardcover (1988) is the true first; a substantially expanded edition followed in 1990. This original edition won the Hugo Award for nonfiction.P-028962

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

None documented; the usual later-printing tell is a number line that no longer descends to 1.P-028963

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Motion of Light in Water a first edition?

A first edition of The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany (Arbor House / William Morrow) is identified by: Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages.

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

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US Arbor House hardcover (1988) is the true first; a substantially expanded edition followed in 1990.

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

None documented; the usual later-printing tell is a number line that no longer descends to 1.

I have a first edition of The Motion of Light in Water — 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.