Is My The Shape of Things to Come a First Edition?

The points of issue

• (Publishers) Ltd, London, 1933, published September 1933
• Original blue cloth, the front panel stamped in blind and the spine panel stamped in gold; octavo
• Currey collates pp. [i-vi] vii-ix [x-xii] 13-431 [432]. Half-title present
• The key first-issue point is the publisher's catalogue dated "Autumn 1933" bound in at the rear — its presence, and specifically its Autumn 1933 dating, is what separates the first issue from later Hutchinson impressions, which carry a later-dated catalogue or none
• Descriptions record the inserted catalogue at both 12 pages and 10 pages; that discrepancy was not resolved, so treat the dating rather than the leaf count as the point
• The UK title page carries the subtitle "The Ultimate Revolution." Jacket should be priced at the flap (price present, unclipped)

How Hutchinson & Co. marked a first edition

• Late 1880s to about 1920: many firsts of this era carry no printing statement at all, so dating relies on the title-page date and on dated rear advertisement catalogs; later printings note reprints. Number lines do not a…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' or 'First published in Great Britain (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated 'Reprinted' or 'New impression'…

Full Hutchinson & Co. 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 US 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?

Hutchinson (London) 1933 is the original edition and the census call is sound, though the margin is narrow: both editions appeared in 1933 and the US issue is stated "Published September, 1933" on its copyright page, so no source consulted fixes a priority by date. The finding rests on two independent bibliographic authorities treating the Hutchinson as the original — Sargent's Utopian Literature in English records the Hutchinson, London, 1933 and then lists the American separately as "U.S. ed. without the subtitle. New York: Macmillan, 1933," and Currey catalogues the Hutchinson as the first edition. The first American edition (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1933) is collected in its own right: ix, [1], 431 pp., dark blue cloth with gilt spine and cover titles, and — the readiest discriminator — no subtitle on the title page, where the UK reads The Shape of Things to Come: The Ultimate Revolution.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for either 1933 edition in the sources consulted. On the UK side the readiest reprint tell is the rear catalogue: absence of the Autumn 1933 publisher's catalogue, or a catalogue dated to a later season, indicates a later Hutchinson impression rather than the first issue. The many modern reissues and the Alexander Korda film tie-in material are reprints or "first thus," not firsts.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Shape of Things to Come a first edition?

A first edition of The Shape of Things to Come by H. G. Wells (Hutchinson & Co.) is identified by: (Publishers) Ltd, London, 1933, published September 1933.

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. Hutchinson (London) 1933 is the original edition and the census call is sound, though the margin is narrow: both editions appeared in 1933 and the US issue is stated "Published September, 1933" on its copyright page, so no source consulted fixes a priority by date.

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

No book-club issue is documented for either 1933 edition in the sources consulted. On the UK side the readiest reprint tell is the rear catalogue: absence of the Autumn 1933 publisher's catalogue, or a catalogue dated to a later season, indicates a later Hutchinson impression rather than the first issue. The many modern reissues and the Alexander Korda film tie-in material are reprints or "first thus," not firsts.

I have a first edition of The Shape of Things to Come — 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.