Is My The Wayward Bus a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The copyright page of the first printing reads "Published by The Viking Press in February 1947" at the head and "Printed in U.S.A. by the Haddon Craftsmen" at the foot — the printer line matters as much as the publication line, because the book-club printing repeats the publication line verbatim
• Bound in brick-red / terra-cotta cloth lettered in gilt on the spine and front cover, with a bus blind-stamped on the lower front board and the top edge stained green
• 8vo, 312 pp
• Jacket priced at the front flap
• Goldstone & Payne A23a
• Dealer descriptions of the cloth vary widely (brick red, terra cotta, maroon, red-orange, brown) and some of that range is fading rather than true variation, so the Haddon Craftsmen printer line and the green top stain are the safer tests

How The Viking Press, New York marked a first edition

• Earliest era (1925 to roughly 1937): Viking used no first-edition statement and instead noted later printings; treat the absence of any later-printing notice, with the title-page/copyright dates matching, as the first.
• From about 1937 onward: first printings state "First published by The Viking Press in [year]" or "Published by The Viking Press in [year]" with no later-printing notice; later printings were noted, and from the 1980s a n…

Full The Viking Press, New York 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?

US Viking Press, New York, February 1947 is the true first. The first English edition followed from William Heinemann (London) in 1947, shortly after the US printing — close but not simultaneous, and with no precedence claim; it is collected only as the first English edition. Only the Viking printing is the collected first. The census claim (US Viking 1947 first; UK Heinemann later the same year) is confirmed as stated.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Well documented and the standard trap for this title. The book-club issue is bound in salmon-coloured cloth rather than brick red; its copyright page reads "Printed in the United States of America by the Kingsport Press, Inc." instead of the Haddon Craftsmen line; a small blind dot or deboss is impressed on the lower rear board (often needing a glass to see); and the club jacket has no price at the flap. Critically, the club printing repeats "Published by The Viking Press in February 1947" and the 1947 title-page date, so that statement alone identifies nothing — check the printer line, the cloth colour, and the rear-board dot.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Wayward Bus a first edition?

A first edition of The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck (The Viking Press, New York) is identified by: The copyright page of the first printing reads "Published by The Viking Press in February 1947" at the head and "Printed in U.S.A.

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. US Viking Press, New York, February 1947 is the true first.

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

Well documented and the standard trap for this title. The book-club issue is bound in salmon-coloured cloth rather than brick red; its copyright page reads "Printed in the United States of America by the Kingsport Press, Inc." instead of the Haddon Craftsmen line; a small blind dot or deboss is impressed on the lower rear board (often needing a glass to see); and the club jacket has no price at the flap. Critically, the club printing repeats "Published by The Viking Press in February 1947" and t

I have a first edition of The Wayward Bus — 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.