The points of issue
Avon mass-market paperback original (Woodiwiss's second novel, a Norman-conquest historical). The first Avon printing carries the original cover price and a copyright page with no later-printing statement. Identify the first printing by the absence of any 'Nth printing' line and the period Avon spine logo; later printings are numbered.
Is this the true first?
The paperback original is the true first; there was no simultaneous hardcover. It precedes all reissues.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club hardcover. Later Avon printings show elevated cover prices and explicit printing statements (collectors report runs well into the dozens of printings). Any hardcover binding seen in the market is a later or rebound copy, not the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Wolf and the Dove a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Avon mass-market paperback original (Woodiwiss's second novel, a Norman-conquest historical). The first Avon printing carries the original cover price and a copyright page with no later-printing statement. Identify the first printing by the absence of any 'Nth printing' line and the period Avon spine logo; later printings are numbered.
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. The paperback original is the true first; there was no simultaneous hardcover. It precedes all reissues.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club hardcover. Later Avon printings show elevated cover prices and explicit printing statements (collectors report runs well into the dozens of printings). Any hardcover binding seen in the market is a later or rebound copy, not the first.
I have a first edition of The Wolf and the Dove — 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.