The points of issue
Landmark hero pulp. Most collectible issue is the first, 'The Living Shadow' (The Shadow Magazine, April/Spring 1931). Identification by cover date, volume/number, and contents; single printing per issue.
Is this the true first?
Original issue is the first appearance; no edition states. The first issue ('The Living Shadow') is the key collectible.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club analog. Beware later Bantam/paperback novelizations and reprints of Shadow novels (1960s-70s), which are reprints, not the pulp firsts.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Shadow Magazine (pulp) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Landmark hero pulp. Most collectible issue is the first, 'The Living Shadow' (The Shadow Magazine, April/Spring 1931). Identification by cover date, volume/number, and contents; single printing per issue.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Original issue is the first appearance; no edition states. The first issue ('The Living Shadow') is the key collectible.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club analog. Beware later Bantam/paperback novelizations and reprints of Shadow novels (1960s-70s), which are reprints, not the pulp firsts.
I have a first edition of The Shadow Magazine (pulp) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.