Is My The Velveteen Rabbit a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, 1922, with William Nicholson's seven color chromolithograph plates (four single-page, three double-page)
• Both issues were physically printed in Great Britain (the Whitefriars Press colophon appears on the verso of the final text leaf)
• The US issue adds 'George H. Doran Company, New York' to the title page; the UK issue lists only Heinemann
• Yellow-tan pictorial boards depicting the rabbit

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. 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 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?

Issued in 1922 by George H. Doran (US) and William Heinemann (UK) from the same English-printed sheets; both are considered first editions, the US issue distinguished by the addition of George H. Doran to the title page. The lithographic plates distinguish the first printing from later halftone reprints. The author, who later published as Margery Williams Bianco, appears here as Margery Williams.P-037005

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings and editions reproduce the Nicholson illustrations by non-lithographic means, reset the text, or carry modern (ISBN-era) imprints; book-club and modern reprints are abundant. The lustrous chromolithograph plates with the Whitefriars Press colophon mark an early printing.P-020665

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Velveteen Rabbit a first edition?

A first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (illustrated by William Nicholson) (George H. Doran) is identified by: First edition, 1922, with William Nicholson's seven color chromolithograph plates (four single-page, three double-page).

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. Issued in 1922 by George H.

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

Later printings and editions reproduce the Nicholson illustrations by non-lithographic means, reset the text, or carry modern (ISBN-era) imprints; book-club and modern reprints are abundant. The lustrous chromolithograph plates with the Whitefriars Press colophon mark an early printing.

I have a first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit — 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.