Is My 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 rea…
• Mid/late-1960s to ~1980: first printings stated 'First Printing (Year)' on the copyright page, with subsequent printings explicitly noted.

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?

Census claim CONFIRMED. 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.

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. Census claim CONFIRMED.

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. 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 p

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 — 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.