Is My The Prophet a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1923
• The whole point is the copyright page, which reads 'Published September, 1923' and lists NO later printing; every subsequent Knopf printing adds its own line
• Octavo, [2], 107, [3] pp., in publisher's black cloth, the spine lettered in gilt and the front board stamped in bright gilt with Gibran's design of a hand holding fire above dancing figures; black topstain
• Complete copies contain twelve full-page collotype plates reproduced from the author's own drawings — count them, as plates are commonly extracted
• Manufactured for Knopf by Vail-Ballou (composition and electrotyping), Beck Engraving (plates) and the Plimpton Press (printing and binding)
• No number line

How Alfred A. Knopf, New York marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.) that…
• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf, New York 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 original and the true first in every sense. Gibran wrote The Prophet in English, so there is no Arabic or other original-language edition preceding it — his Arabic titles are separate works, not earlier states of this one. The census claim is confirmed. No UK edition precedes or is simultaneous with the Knopf printing in any source located; British issues follow and are first-thus at best. Do not confuse the first printing with the Knopf 'edition de luxe' of 1926, which appeared when the book was already in its eighth printing.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Prophet has never been out of print, and the overwhelming majority of copies met in donation streams are later Knopf printings that still show 1923 on the title page and carry the 1923 copyright — the added printing line on the copyright verso is what gives them away (documented examples: a 35th printing of August 1936; a 1951 pocket edition at the 24th printing). Other documented look-alikes: the Knopf edition de luxe of 1926; the wartime Armed Services Edition (Council on Books in Wartime), a red-covered paperback that reproduces the 1923 copyright page and the original jacket art on its front cover and is regularly listed as a 1923 book; and the many small-format gift and pocket editions. A dated 1923 title page proves nothing on its own — read the copyright page.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Prophet a first edition?

A first edition of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (Alfred A. Knopf, New York) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Alfred A.

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 original and the true first in every sense.

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

The Prophet has never been out of print, and the overwhelming majority of copies met in donation streams are later Knopf printings that still show 1923 on the title page and carry the 1923 copyright — the added printing line on the copyright verso is what gives them away (documented examples: a 35th printing of August 1936; a 1951 pocket edition at the 24th printing). Other documented look-alikes: the Knopf edition de luxe of 1926; the wartime Armed Services Edition (Council on Books in Wartime)

I have a first edition of The Prophet — 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.