Is My The Shadow of the Torturer a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Simon & Schuster, New York, May 1980
• Volume One of The Book of the New Sun
• First printing is identified by the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 on the copyright page — note that Simon & Schuster ran ascending lines in this period, so the presence of the '1' at the left end is the test, not a '10' at the right
• Octavo, collating [9], 11-303, [1]pp
• Bound in quarter grey cloth over blue paper boards, with red lettering to the front board and spine
• Jacket art by Don Maitz; on an unclipped example the price is present at the front flap

How Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• ERA 3 — Number-line introduction (mid-1973–1980): S&S adopted a copyright-page number line. Read the lowest number present: a line whose lowest digit is 1 is a first printing (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' or the descendin…
• CROSS-CHECK across all number-line eras: A 1-bearing number line is frequently paired with a spelled-out first-issue statement (which may read 'First Printing' OR 'First Edition' — both occur at S&S). When a positive sta…

Full Simon & Schuster 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 US 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?

Census claim confirmed. The US Simon & Schuster edition of 1980 is the true first and precedes the first UK edition, Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1981 (ISBN 0-283-98738-3, 304pp, wraparound jacket art by Bruce Pennington). Both are collected: the S&S is the true first, while the Sidgwick & Jackson is reported to have been printed in a small quantity and is sought in its own right — but it does not precede and must not be catalogued as a first edition without the 'first UK edition' qualifier. The novel won the 1981 World Fantasy Award for best novel.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Simon & Schuster book-club edition of 1980 is the routine trap and is distinguished in the usual way for the period — the trade edition's number line and the flap price are the positive tests, so a copy lacking the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 line should be treated as a book-club or later printing; specific blind-stamp and flap-marking details were not confirmed against two independent sources and are therefore not asserted here. Later 'first thus' reissues that are not firsts include the Easton Press 1995 leather-bound Masterpieces of Science Fiction volume (burgundy leather, 22kt gold, Michael Mariano artwork) and the Shadow and Claw omnibus pairing this novel with The Claw of the Conciliator.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Shadow of the Torturer a first edition?

A first edition of The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (Simon & Schuster) is identified by: Simon & Schuster, New York, May 1980; Volume One of The Book of the New Sun.

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). Census claim confirmed.

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

The Simon & Schuster book-club edition of 1980 is the routine trap and is distinguished in the usual way for the period — the trade edition's number line and the flap price are the positive tests, so a copy lacking the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 line should be treated as a book-club or later printing; specific blind-stamp and flap-marking details were not confirmed against two independent sources and are therefore not asserted here. Later 'first thus' reissues that are not firsts include the Easton Pr

I have a first edition of The Shadow of the Torturer — 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.