Is My The Worthing Chronicle a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Ace (New York) paperback original of 1983, first printing indicated by the number line on the copyright page; a first printing shows a complete line running to 1 with no advanced impression
• This is Card's substantial rewrite of his 1979 first novel 'Hot Sleep': the major events are retained but the story is retold from the vantage of a character who meets the protagonist much later in life, so the text here is a distinct revised work rather than a reprint of 'Hot Sleep'

How Ace marked a first edition

• Price increases on later printings of the same/related serial number are a reliable later-STATE indicator. There is no well-documented, consistent Ace convention of an explicit 'First Ace printing: <Month Year>' statemen…

Full Ace 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 Ace paperback original (1983) is the true first appearance of this revised text. The earlier, differently-narrated version was published as 'Hot Sleep' (Baronet, 1979); the two are separate texts, so 'Hot Sleep' does not precede this book as an edition of the same work.P-023344

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition of the standalone 'Worthing Chronicle' text; the material was later revised again and folded into the 1990 omnibus 'The Worthing Saga', which is a distinct later publication and not a reprint of this Ace paperback.P-023345

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Worthing Chronicle a first edition?

A first edition of The Worthing Chronicle by Orson Scott Card (Ace) is identified by: Ace (New York) paperback original of 1983, first printing indicated by the number line on the copyright page; a first printing shows a complete line running to 1 with no advanced impression.

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 Ace paperback original (1983) is the true first appearance of this revised text.

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

No book-club edition of the standalone 'Worthing Chronicle' text; the material was later revised again and folded into the 1990 omnibus 'The Worthing Saga', which is a distinct later publication and not a reprint of this Ace paperback.

I have a first edition of The Worthing Chronicle — 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.