Is My Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy a First Edition?

The points of issue

• UK Hodder & Stoughton first, 1974
• Copyright page reads 'First printed 1974' with no 'Second impression' or later-impression statement following it
• Bound in cloth with the Hodder colophon on the spine and a gilt-debossed drawing of Smiley to the front corner; endpapers of the first printing are pale yellow
• First-issue dust jacket carries the publisher's printed price on the front flap (its presence confirms trade issue; the exact figure is immaterial)
• First volume of the Karla trilogy

How Hodder & Stoughton marked a first edition

• Modern era (number line): later Hodder/Sceptre titles carry a printer's-key number line (lowest digit = printing; '1' present = first); number lines are a general post-~1970 trade practice — the exact year Hodder adopted…
• First printing = era-appropriate statement present AND no later-impression/printing notation; for pre-1940s books rely on points/bibliography, not the copyright page

Full Hodder & Stoughton 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 UK 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?

UK Hodder & Stoughton 1974 is the true first, preceding the US Knopf edition (1974). The UK first is the desirable copy; signed copies are sought. Firsts of this title are scarcer than the novels flanking it.P-015554

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Hodder impressions state 'Second impression' (etc.) after 'First printed 1974'. Book-club copies characteristically lack the printed price on the jacket flap; the US Knopf first is a separate edition identified by imprint.P-015555

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy a first edition?

A first edition of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré (Hodder & Stoughton) is identified by: UK Hodder & Stoughton first, 1974.

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. UK Hodder & Stoughton 1974 is the true first, preceding the US Knopf edition (1974).

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

Later Hodder impressions state 'Second impression' (etc.) after 'First printed 1974'. Book-club copies characteristically lack the printed price on the jacket flap; the US Knopf first is a separate edition identified by imprint.

I have a first edition of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — 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.