The points of issue
First printing has the words First Edition printed on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code E-O (E equals May, O equals the year 1939). Navy blue cloth, gilt and red title block on spine and front panel; first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price. First of Wolfe's two posthumous novels.
Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition (1947). The copyright-page code E-O plus the First Edition statement identifies the first printing.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue for the first. Later Harper printings carry a different month-year code letter pair and drop the First Edition statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Web and the Rock a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing has the words First Edition printed on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code E-O (E equals May, O equals the year 1939). Navy blue cloth, gilt and red title block on spine and front panel; first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price. First of Wolfe's two posthumous novels.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition (1947). The copyright-page code E-O plus the First Edition statement identifies the first printing.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club issue for the first. Later Harper printings carry a different month-year code letter pair and drop the First Edition statement.
I have a first edition of The Web and the Rock — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.