Is My The Years a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a
• Woolmer 423), 18,142 copies, in pale jade-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a cream Vanessa Bell dust jacket printed in black and brown
• There is no number line and no additional printing statement (Hogarth trade firsts of this period carry none)
• Jacket caution is a condition matter, not an issue point: the jacket spine browns readily and is scarce bright

How The Hogarth Press marked a first edition

• Crown / Penguin Random House house style: true first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page and carries a full number line whose lowest digit is 1.
• The lowest number in the number line is the decisive signal for the first printing.

Full The Hogarth Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 Hogarth (London), 15 March 1937 edition precedes the first American edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1937, 10,000 copies, issued the following month); the London Hogarth is the priority true first. This is Woolf's last novel published in her lifetime.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Years a first edition?

A first edition of The Years by Virginia Woolf (The Hogarth Press) is identified by: True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a; Woolmer 423), 18,142 copies, in pale jade-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a cream Vanessa Bell dust jacket printed in black and brown.

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 Hogarth (London), 15 March 1937 edition precedes the first American edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1937, 10,000 copies, issued the following month); the London Hogarth is the priority true first.

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

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first; look for a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price.

I have a first edition of The Years — 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.