Is My 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

• Pre-1945: identified by the LACK of a later-printing statement on the copyright page.
• 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.

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.

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 — 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.