Is My The Valley of Fear a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: George H. Doran Company, New York, published 27 February 1915 (copyright page dated 1914), in red cloth lettered in gilt, with seven full-page illustrations by Arthur I. Keller including the frontispiece
• First English edition: Smith, Elder & Co., London, 3 June 1915 — first-issue copies carry 34 of Doyle's titles listed on the verso of the half-title and a 6-page publisher's list at the end, with a frontispiece by Frank Wiles

How George H. Doran marked a first edition

• 1908–c.1920: inconsistent; first editions usually (but not always) bear a black oval colophon enclosing white script 'GHD' on the copyright page (sometimes the title page). The practice was not consistent until the early…
• Early 1920s: the 'GHD' oval colophon on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice, becomes the reliable first-printing point.

Full George H. Doran first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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?

The US-first Holmes novel: the Doran New York edition (27 February 1915) precedes the Smith, Elder London edition (3 June 1915) by over three months. Both are collected — the Doran as the true first, the Smith, Elder as the first English edition; UK copies are often mislabeled as the true first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Smith, Elder copies lacking the 34-title half-title verso list and the terminal 6-page catalogue should be treated as possible later issues. The 1914 copyright date on the Doran edition leads some catalogs to misdate it 1914; publication was February 1915.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Valley of Fear a first edition?

A first edition of The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (George H. Doran) is identified by: Doran Company, New York, published 27 February 1915 (copyright page dated 1914), in red cloth lettered in gilt, with seven full-page illustrations by Arthur I.

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. The US-first Holmes novel: the Doran New York edition (27 February 1915) precedes the Smith, Elder London edition (3 June 1915) by over three months.

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

Smith, Elder copies lacking the 34-title half-title verso list and the terminal 6-page catalogue should be treated as possible later issues. The 1914 copyright date on the Doran edition leads some catalogs to misdate it 1914; publication was February 1915.

I have a first edition of The Valley of Fear — 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.