Is My Copy of The Scarf a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The Dial Press, New York, 1947
• Octavo, boards
• No statement of printing appears on the copyright page (per Currey), so the first is identified by the Dial title leaf and 1947 copyright date alone — a copy showing any later printing statement is not the first
• This is Bloch's second book and his first novel; his first book was the Arkham House collection 'The Opener of the Way'
• Issued in a pictorial dust jacket; a first-issue jacket is unclipped with the price present at the flap
• Dealers consistently note that the text block of this title age-darkens, sometimes heavily — that is a paper-stock condition trait common to the issue, not an issue point, and it should not be mistaken for one

How The Dial Press, New York marked a first edition

• Pre-mid-1960s (classic Dial, incl. early Baldwin/Mailer firsts): first edition identified by the SAME DATE appearing on both the title page and the copyright page, with no later-printing statement. Early imprints may…

Full The Dial Press, 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. 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 Dial Press (New York, 1947) is the true first — an American original in English, with no British edition preceding or accompanying it. The 1948 Avon paperback is the first paperback appearance and was retitled 'The Scarf of Passion'; it is a retitle trap and not a first. Later Avon printings reverted to the original title 'The Scarf'.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No contemporary book-club issue is documented. The significant 'first thus' trap is the 1966 Fawcett Gold Medal paperback, for which Bloch revised the text: he switched chapter sequences at the opening, edited out 1946-era references and slang, restored several sequences cut by the original editor, and rewrote the ending. Every edition from 1966 forward therefore carries the revised text; only the Dial 1947 first and the 1948 Avon 'The Scarf of Passion' retitle carry the original text as first published.P-042444

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Scarf a first edition?

A first edition of The Scarf by Robert Bloch (The Dial Press, New York) is identified by: The Dial Press, New York, 1947.

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 Dial Press (New York, 1947) is the true first — an American original in English, with no British edition preceding or accompanying it.

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

No contemporary book-club issue is documented. The significant 'first thus' trap is the 1966 Fawcett Gold Medal paperback, for which Bloch revised the text: he switched chapter sequences at the opening, edited out 1946-era references and slang, restored several sequences cut by the original editor, and rewrote the ending.

I have a first edition of The Scarf — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.