Is My The Sound and the Fury / As I Lay Dying a First Edition?

The points of issue

• For 'As I Lay Dying'
• the key first-issue point is the broken/dropped initial capital 'I' on page 11: the first 750 copies of the 2,522-copy first printing show the misaligned 'I' before the page-11 plate was replaced, with the corrected state following
• The book is bound in publisher's beige/tan cloth stamped in brown with a brown top stain
• For 'The Sound and the Fury'
• the trade first is bound in black-and-white Art Deco patterned boards over a white cloth spine lettered in black, from a first printing of 1,789 copies

How Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith marked a first edition

• First printings state "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page with NO additional impression lines and traditionally NO number line
• Later printings noted by added lines (e.g. 'Second impression [year]', 'Reprinted...') — their presence disqualifies a first

Full Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith 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?

Both are US Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith (New York) firsts: 'The Sound and the Fury' 1929 and 'As I Lay Dying' 1930. The corrected page-11 state of 'As I Lay Dying' follows the broken-'I' state within the same first printing.P-033434

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings and reissues repair the broken page-11 type in 'As I Lay Dying.' Book-club reprints of these titles are typically identifiable by a blind-stamped mark to the rear board and lack the original binding and point details.P-033435

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Sound and the Fury / As I Lay Dying a first edition?

A first edition of The Sound and the Fury / As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith) is identified by: For 'As I Lay Dying' (1930) the key first-issue point is the broken/dropped initial capital 'I' on page 11: the first 750 copies of the 2,522-copy first printing show the misaligned 'I' before the page-11 plate was replaced, with the corrected state following.

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. Both are US Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith (New York) firsts: 'The Sound and the Fury' 1929 and 'As I Lay Dying' 1930.

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

Later printings and reissues repair the broken page-11 type in 'As I Lay Dying.' Book-club reprints of these titles are typically identifiable by a blind-stamped mark to the rear board and lack the original binding and point details.

I have a first edition of The Sound and the Fury / As I Lay Dying — 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.