The points of issue
Framing entry, not a collectible title. The Grolier Club's 'One Hundred Influential American Books Printed Before 1900' (exhibition 1946, catalogue published by the Grolier Club, New York, 1947) is a cornerstone collecting checklist. Most of its titles are pre-1900 (Franklin, Audubon, Whitman 'Leaves of Grass' 1855, Thoreau, Stowe 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', Melville 'Moby-Dick' 1851, Twain) and belong in the nineteenth-century Americana slices, not the modern slice. Modern overlap from Grolier-style canons is minimal.
Is this the true first?
This entry exists to flag the reference list itself. Individual Grolier titles carry their own points and should be catalogued in the nineteenth-century American slice (for example 'Leaves of Grass' 1855 in the cloth/decorated state, and the precedence question between the US Harper 'Moby-Dick' 1851 and the UK Bentley 'The Whale' 1851).
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a collectible title in the modern slice. Included so the orchestrator records that the Grolier American list is accounted for and routed to the pre-1900 slice. Deduplicate accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Sun Also Rises high spots note — Grolier/standard canon a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Framing entry, not a collectible title. The Grolier Club's 'One Hundred Influential American Books Printed Before 1900' (exhibition 1946, catalogue published by the Grolier Club, New York, 1947) is a cornerstone collecting checklist. Most of its titles are pre-1900 (Franklin, Audubon, Whitman 'Leaves of Grass' 1855, Thoreau, Stowe 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', Melville 'Moby-Dick' 1851, Twain) and belong in the nineteenth-century Americana slices, not the modern slice. Modern overlap from Grolier-style canons is minimal.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. This entry exists to flag the reference list itself. Individual Grolier titles carry their own points and should be catalogued in the nineteenth-century American slice (for example 'Leaves of Grass' 1855 in the cloth/decorated state, and the precedence question between the US Harper 'Moby-Dick' 1851
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Not a collectible title in the modern slice. Included so the orchestrator records that the Grolier American list is accounted for and routed to the pre-1900 slice. Deduplicate accordingly.
I have a first edition of The Sun Also Rises high spots note — Grolier/standard canon — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.