Is My The Sheep-Pig a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: London, Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1983, illustrated by Mary Rayner, the jacket illustration also by Rayner
• Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its firsts before 1984 — it adopted the 'First published in...' line only in that year — so identification rests on the 1983 copyright date together with the absence of any reprint or impression statement; later printings are noted on the copyright page
• Octavo, original cloth lettered at the spine, in the pictorial Rayner jacket, which should be unclipped with the price present at the flap
• Cloth colour is inconsistently reported across dealer descriptions and is not a reliable point

How Victor Gollancz marked a first edition

• Pre-1984: NO first-edition statement was made — first printings carry no 'First published' line; ONLY later printings were noted (so absence of any printing statement = likely first, presence of a reprint note = later)
• For pre-1984 titles, confirm via dust-jacket points, dated jackets, and absence of reprint notation rather than a positive statement

Full Victor Gollancz 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. 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.
4. Verify this is the UK 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?

UK Victor Gollancz (London), 1983 is the true first and precedes the American edition by two years; it won the 1984 Guardian Children's Fiction Award. The first American edition is Crown Publishers, New York, 1985, retitled 'Babe: The Gallant Pig', retaining Mary Rayner's illustrations. Both are collected — the Gollancz as the true first, the Crown as the first American edition and the first appearance under the 'Babe' title.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

On the Crown 'Babe: The Gallant Pig', Crown had adopted a first-edition statement plus a number row by this date; a first printing shows 'First American Edition' with a complete number line including 1. Crown did not reliably remove that statement on reprints — copies are recorded stating 'First American Edition' with a full 10-to-1 number line but 'Second Printing' added beneath, and others carrying a broken later line (e.g. 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2). Read the number line and any printing statement, never the edition statement alone. No book-club issue of the Gollancz is documented in the sources consulted; reprints and tie-in printings following the 1995 film are the common trap.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Sheep-Pig a first edition?

A first edition of The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith (Victor Gollancz) is identified by: First edition, first impression: London, Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1983, illustrated by Mary Rayner, the jacket illustration also by Rayner.

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. UK Victor Gollancz (London), 1983 is the true first and precedes the American edition by two years; it won the 1984 Guardian Children's Fiction Award.

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

On the Crown 'Babe: The Gallant Pig', Crown had adopted a first-edition statement plus a number row by this date; a first printing shows 'First American Edition' with a complete number line including 1. Crown did not reliably remove that statement on reprints — copies are recorded stating 'First American Edition' with a full 10-to-1 number line but 'Second Printing' added beneath, and others carrying a broken later line (e.g. 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2). Read the number line and any printing statement,

I have a first edition of The Sheep-Pig — 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.