Is My The Story of Art a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp. with about 370 illustrations
• The decisive point is the copyright page reading 'First published 1950' with NO later-edition statement: Phaidon revised the book almost immediately, issuing a 'Second edition 1950' and a 'Third edition 1951', so any copy whose copyright page adds a second- or third-edition line is not the first printing
• Reported binding cloth varies between dealers (grey, oatmeal, cream/beige, lettered in red and gilt), so treat cloth colour as non-definitive and rely on the printing statement; the first was issued in a pictorial dust jacket

How Phaidon Press marked a first edition

• Where a number line appears on newer titles, apply standard rules (lowest number present indicates the printing).

Full Phaidon Press 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 precedence: Phaidon, London, 1950 is the true first in the original English. There is no earlier US edition; US-market copies were distributed subsequently and the London 1950 first holds precedence.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book has run to sixteen numbered editions since 1950 with expanded and reset content; all post-1950 'editions' are revised reprints identified by their edition statement, and the later pocket/luxury reissues are 'first thus' formats, not the 1950 first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Story of Art a first edition?

A first edition of The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich (Phaidon Press) is identified by: The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp.

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 precedence: Phaidon, London, 1950 is the true first in the original English.

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

The book has run to sixteen numbered editions since 1950 with expanded and reset content; all post-1950 'editions' are revised reprints identified by their edition statement, and the later pocket/luxury reissues are 'first thus' formats, not the 1950 first.

I have a first edition of The Story of Art — 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.