Is My The Quiller Memorandum a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the copyright page, and no date later than the copyright date
• Later Collins impressions are noted there
• Octavo, 254 pages, bound in green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine
• The flat red dust jacket carries the title with an espionage tagline referencing Berlin 1965; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy
• The decisive point is the title page: a true first must read "The Berlin Memorandum"
• Any English-language Collins copy titled "The Quiller Memorandum" is the 1967 reissue, not the first

How Collins marked a first edition

• First editions either carry NO additional printing statement on the copyright page or state "First published [Year]" — practice was not fully consistent, so confirm with jacket/ad dating
• Later printings noted with impression lines; their absence supports a first

Full Collins first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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 census claim holds. The true first is Collins (London), 1965, titled The Berlin Memorandum — the only English-language appearance under that title. The Simon & Schuster (New York) 1965 edition, retitled The Quiller Memorandum, is the first American edition and follows the Collins; both are collected, the US edition being the source of the title the book is now known by and under which it won the 1966 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel (it also took the 1966 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière). First-thus trap: Collins reissued the novel in the UK in 1967 as The Quiller Memorandum to capitalise on the Harold Pinter-scripted film; that reissue is a first thus, not a first edition. The 2004 Forge edition with an Otto Penzler introduction is likewise a first thus.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue of the 1965 Collins first is documented in the sources consulted. The far more common confusions for this title are the 1967 Collins retitled film-tie-in reissue and later paperbacks, not book-club printings. General tells apply to any suspect copy: blind stamp to the rear board, no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and cheaper bulk.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Quiller Memorandum a first edition?

A first edition of The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor) (Collins) is identified by: Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the copyright page, and no date later than the copyright date.

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 census claim holds.

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

No book-club issue of the 1965 Collins first is documented in the sources consulted. The far more common confusions for this title are the 1967 Collins retitled film-tie-in reissue and later paperbacks, not book-club printings. General tells apply to any suspect copy: blind stamp to the rear board, no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and cheaper bulk.

I have a first edition of The Quiller Memorandum — 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.