The points of issue
Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 3): copyright page states 'First Edition' (Knopf uses the stated line, no number row). ISBN 0-394-52836-6; thick octavo of roughly 1167 pages; first-issue jacket carries the printed price unclipped.
Is this the true first?
US Knopf is the true first for each Caro LBJ volume. Master of the Senate won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Each volume (The Path to Power 1982; Means of Ascent 1990; Master of the Senate 2002; The Passage of Power 2012) has its own Knopf first edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies of the LBJ volumes lack the printed jacket price, may carry a rear-board blindstamp, and omit the stated 'First Edition'. The 'First Edition' line plus the priced Knopf jacket identify the trade first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Power Broker — see deeper note (Robert A. Caro, Master of the Senate) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 3): copyright page states 'First Edition' (Knopf uses the stated line, no number row). ISBN 0-394-52836-6; thick octavo of roughly 1167 pages; first-issue jacket carries the printed price unclipped.
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. US Knopf is the true first for each Caro LBJ volume. Master of the Senate won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Each volume (The Path to Power 1982; Means of Ascent 1990; Master of the Senate 2002; The Passage of Power 2012) has its own Knopf first edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club copies of the LBJ volumes lack the printed jacket price, may carry a rear-board blindstamp, and omit the stated 'First Edition'. The 'First Edition' line plus the priced Knopf jacket identify the trade first.
I have a first edition of The Power Broker — see deeper note (Robert A. Caro, Master of the Senate) — 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.