Is My Copy of The Tie That Binds a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a FULL number line beginning with 1 — dealers report the first-printing line as "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." The trap is well documented on this title: the second printing drops the 1 and reads "3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" while sellers still describe such copies as first editions, so count the line rather than trust the statement (Holt, Rinehart & Winston used a first-edition statement plus number row from the 1970s onward — Quill & Brush
• Physical points: 246 pp., octavo (21.5 cm), quarter black cloth over gray/beige paper-covered boards stamped in red
• ISBN 0-03-071979-8
• Jacket point: the first-issue jacket carries the date code "1084" at the front flap with the price present, unclipped
• No first-state text errors are documented

How Holt, Rinehart and Winston marked a first edition

• 1945 onward: usually placed a first-edition statement on the copyright page of US-produced books (no statement on books produced outside the US).

Full Holt, Rinehart and Winston 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. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
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-only true first: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1984 — Haruf's debut novel and considerably scarcer than Plainsong. No 1980s British edition was traced; the UK issue is Picador (London, 2002, ISBN 0330490451), published nearly two decades later in the wake of Plainsong's success, and the Vintage Contemporaries US paperback (ISBN 0375724389) is likewise a "first thus." Both are reprints. Only the 1984 Holt, Rinehart and Winston hardcover is the first.P-043502

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No Holt/Book-of-the-Month club issue for this title was traced in the sources consulted. Standard club tells apply and should be checked before relying on the copyright page: no price and no "1084" code at the jacket flap (often "Book Club Edition" printed there instead), a blind stamp or colored deboss at the lower rear board near the spine, and smaller trim with lighter bulk. On this title the number line is the decisive test — a copy whose line starts at 3 is the second printing, not a first.P-043503

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Tie That Binds a first edition?

A first edition of The Tie That Binds by Kent Haruf (Holt, Rinehart and Winston) is identified by: The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a FULL number line beginning with 1 — dealers report the first-printing line as "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." The trap is well documented on this title: the second printing drops the 1 and reads "3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" while sellers still describe such copies as first editions, so count the line rather than trust the statement (Holt, Rinehart & Winston used a first-edition statement plus number row from the 1970s onward — Quill…

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US-only true first: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1984 — Haruf's debut novel and considerably scarcer than Plainsong.

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

No Holt/Book-of-the-Month club issue for this title was traced in the sources consulted. Standard club tells apply and should be checked before relying on the copyright page: no price and no "1084" code at the jacket flap (often "Book Club Edition" printed there instead), a blind stamp or colored deboss at the lower rear board near the spine, and smaller trim with lighter bulk. On this title the number line is the decisive test — a copy whose line starts at 3 is the second printing, not a first.

I have a first edition of The Tie That Binds — 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.