Is My The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, two volumes, published in New York by Charles Wiley on February 1, 1823, the first of the Leatherstocking Tales in order of publication; reportedly some 3,500 copies sold within hours of release
• Two states of volume one's preliminary leaves are recorded in Spiller & Blackburn's descriptive bibliography: the earlier state has "J. SEYMOUR, PRINTER" on the title page, with the copyright notice on page [ii] and a blank page [iv], while the later state substitutes "E. B. Clayton, Printer" and reverses that order, with a blank page [ii] and the copyright notice moved to page [iv]. Clayton, who printed all of volume two, is believed to have completed and reissued Wiley's front matter after Seymour's original printing
• On page 329 of volume two, the page number is set on the inside (gutter) margin rather than the outer corner, a further point of issue recorded in the same bibliography
• The sheets were issued in boards, uncut, with printed paper spine labels; volume two closes with a publisher's note on errata at page 332, part of every first-printing copy's standard collation

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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. 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.
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 New York Wiley edition (February 1, 1823) precedes the first English edition (John Murray, London, February 26, 1823) by about three weeks; no earlier printing in any other country is recorded.P-034546

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1825 Collins & Hannay/Wiley reprint and the Carey, Lea & Carey Philadelphia editions beginning in 1827 reset the type for later numbered "editions"; none preserve the Seymour/Clayton title-page states, the page-329 margin numbering, or the original boards and paper labels of the true first printing.P-034547

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna a first edition?

A first edition of The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna by James Fenimore Cooper (Charles Wiley) is identified by: First edition, two volumes, published in New York by Charles Wiley on February 1, 1823, the first of the Leatherstocking Tales in order of publication; reportedly some 3,500 copies sold within hours of release.

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 New York Wiley edition (February 1, 1823) precedes the first English edition (John Murray, London, February 26, 1823) by about three weeks; no earlier printing in any other country is recorded.

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

The 1825 Collins & Hannay/Wiley reprint and the Carey, Lea & Carey Philadelphia editions beginning in 1827 reset the type for later numbered "editions"; none preserve the Seymour/Clayton title-page states, the page-329 margin numbering, or the original boards and paper labels of the true first printing.

I have a first edition of The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna — 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.