Is My The Wanted a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to end in 1
• Issued in hardcover with dust jacket; the first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price to the upper front flap and bears the ISBN 978-0-399-16150-6 to the lower rear panel
• A fine copy should retain the jacket with its printed price present

How G.P. Putnam's Sons marked a first edition

• “First Impression” plus a number line
• Statement removed on later printings

Full G.P. Putnam's Sons 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?

The US G.P. Putnam's Sons hardcover (2017) is the true first edition and first appearance of this Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel. A separate UK edition was issued by Simon & Schuster (ISBN 978-1-4711-5749-3); collectors of the US first look to the Putnam imprint with the stated "First Edition" and terminal 1 in the number line.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No significant book club edition affects the true first. Later Putnam printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1; confirm both the stated "First Edition" line and the terminal 1.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Wanted a first edition?

A first edition of The Wanted by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam's Sons) is identified by: The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to end in 1.

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). The US G.P.

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

No significant book club edition affects the true first. Later Putnam printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1; confirm both the stated "First Edition" line and the terminal 1.

I have a first edition of The Wanted — what should I do?

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 lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

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.