Is My The Russia House a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989
• Identified by "First published in Great Britain 1989 by Hodder and Stoughton" on the copyright page with no subsequent-impression notice — Hodder consistently stated "First published in (year)" on firsts from 1976 and noted later impressions
• Do NOT expect a number line: Hodder only began using number lines around the mid-1990s, so its absence on this printing is correct and is not evidence against the first
• Publisher's grey to beige-grey cloth lettered in blue on the spine, 344 pp; dealers report tan or peach endpapers
• Priced jacket, unclipped, with the price present at the front flap
• Separate issue to keep distinct from the trade first: a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies was also published, bound with a green cloth spine and blue marbled paper boards with gilt, and issued in a glassine wrapper rather than a dust jacket

How Hodder & Stoughton marked a first edition

• Modern era (number line): later Hodder/Sceptre titles carry a printer's-key number line (lowest digit = printing; '1' present = first); number lines are a general post-~1970 trade practice — the exact year Hodder adopted…
• First printing = era-appropriate statement present AND no later-impression/printing notation; for pre-1940s books rely on points/bibliography, not the copyright page

Full Hodder & Stoughton 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 UK 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?

The census claim stands, but narrowly, and the margin should be stated rather than glossed. Hodder's UK publication is given as 1 June 1989 and Knopf's US publication date as 9 June 1989 (Kirkus) — about a week apart. An early search signal suggesting Knopf published in May 1989 proved to be a conflation with the Kirkus pre-publication review issue of 15 May 1989 and does not reverse precedence. UK precedence is independently corroborated by ABAA dealer cataloguing, which consistently designates the Knopf as the "first American edition." The first American edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1989; [xii], 353, [3] pp) is separately and actively collected; both editions are collected.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club printing was documented for this title in the sources consulted, so no title-specific tells are given. Apply the generic tells: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small colored dot to the rear board, lighter bulk and cheaper paper, and no first-edition statement.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Russia House a first edition?

A first edition of The Russia House by John le Carré (Hodder & Stoughton) is identified by: Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1989.

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). The census claim stands, but narrowly, and the margin should be stated rather than glossed.

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

No book-club printing was documented for this title in the sources consulted, so no title-specific tells are given. Apply the generic tells: no price present at the jacket flap, a blind stamp or small colored dot to the rear board, lighter bulk and cheaper paper, and no first-edition statement.

I have a first edition of The Russia House — 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.