Is My The Souls of Black Folk a First Edition?

The points of issue

• A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine
• The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'Published April, 1903' with NO later-edition or later-printing statement
• Because the book reprinted rapidly, every later impression adds an edition/date statement — the copyright page is the point to check
• (No separate textual first-issue point is documented in the sources consulted.)

How A. C. McClurg & Co. marked a first edition

• 1900-1930s: continued reliance on the dated title page; later printings often added 'Published (month, year)' impression lines on the copyright page, so absence of such later dates indicates a first printing. For key tit…

Full A. C. McClurg & 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. 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?

US A. C. McClurg (Chicago), 1903 is the true first. Multiple printings/editions followed quickly, each dated on the copyright page — e.g. Second Edition (June 1, 1903), Third Edition (August 1, 1903), and a Fifth Edition (November 1, 1904); McClurg issued some two dozen editions through 1940. Only the first printing ('Published April, 1903,' with no later statement) is the true first; the many later dated printings are common and frequently miscatalogued as firsts.P-037419

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Distinguish the first printing by the ABSENCE of any later-edition statement on the copyright page; later 1903 impressions and subsequent McClurg editions carry dated edition statements. The first British edition (Archibald Constable & Co., London, 1905; black cloth, gilt) appeared two years later and is NOT the true first. No book-club edition is at issue.P-037420

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Souls of Black Folk a first edition?

A first edition of The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois (A. C. McClurg & Co.) is identified by: McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine.

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. US A.

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

Distinguish the first printing by the ABSENCE of any later-edition statement on the copyright page; later 1903 impressions and subsequent McClurg editions carry dated edition statements. The first British edition (Archibald Constable & Co., London, 1905; black cloth, gilt) appeared two years later and is NOT the true first. No book-club edition is at issue.

I have a first edition of The Souls of Black Folk — 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.