Is My Copy of The Shrinking Man a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The paperback-original claim holds: the true first is the Gold Medal (Fawcett) paperback original, catalogue number s577, first printing May 1956, with the copyright page stating "First Printing, May 1956" — this dating is independently corroborated by the ISFDB title record (1956-05)
• 192 pp., cover art by Mitchell Hooks showing the shrunken man confronting a spider with a pin
• Gold Medal reissued the title under different catalogue numbers with later-printing statements, so number s577 together with the May 1956 first-printing line is the point
• No Frederick Muller hardcover edition of this title is recorded in any source consulted
• The first hardcover edition anywhere is David Bruce & Watson, London, 1973, with an introduction by Kingsley Amis — so catalogued by two independent specialist dealers who both cite the standard reference bibliographies (Anatomy of Wonder
• Barron, Horror Literature 4-219

How Gold Medal Books marked a first edition

• Gold Medal pioneered the PAPERBACK ORIGINAL — so the Gold Medal paperback is itself the first edition (no prior hardcover) for most of its crime/noir list. Identification centers on first-PRINTING points, not…
• First printing is identified by the Gold Medal serial number and the copyright-page printing notice: a true first usually has NO 'Second printing'/'Third printing' line; later printings explicitly state the printing and…

Full Gold Medal Books 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 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?

The true first is the US Gold Medal paperback original (s577, May 1956). A separate British Gold Medal (Fawcett Publications) issue was also published in London in 1956, with its printed price — a distinct UK first printing that is collected in its own right. The first hardcover anywhere is David Bruce & Watson, London, 1973 (Kingsley Amis introduction); no 1958 Muller hardcover is recorded. Later paperbacks retitled The Incredible Shrinking Man to match the 1957 Jack Arnold film are reprints under a changed title, not the first — a "first thus" trap.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue applies to a paperback original. Reprint tells: a Gold Medal catalogue number other than s577, or a copyright page giving a printing later than "First Printing, May 1956"; any hardcover predating 1973 should be treated as unrecorded and investigated rather than assumed.P-037862

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Shrinking Man a first edition?

A first edition of The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson (Gold Medal Books) is identified by: The paperback-original claim holds: the true first is the Gold Medal (Fawcett) paperback original, catalogue number s577, first printing May 1956, with the copyright page stating "First Printing, May 1956" — this dating is independently corroborated by the ISFDB title record (1956-05).

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. The true first is the US Gold Medal paperback original (s577, May 1956).

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

No book-club issue applies to a paperback original. Reprint tells: a Gold Medal catalogue number other than s577, or a copyright page giving a printing later than "First Printing, May 1956"; any hardcover predating 1973 should be treated as unrecorded and investigated rather than assumed.

I have a first edition of The Shrinking Man — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.