Is My To Kill a Mockingbird a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page, with no later-printing statement beneath the copyright notice
• Binding: brown paper-covered boards with a green cloth spine, lettered in gilt
• First-issue dust jacket (designed by Shirley Smith) shows the original printed price at the flap, a photograph of Harper Lee on the REAR panel credited to Truman Capote (his name at lower right), and a blurb by Jonathan Daniels on the rear flap
• The first printing was about 5,000 copies

How J. B. Lippincott marked a first edition

• From ~1925: printed 'First Edition' on the copyright page of books deemed important; novels and children's books often NOT so marked.
• Reliably indicated later printings ('Second Printing', 'Third Printing', etc.), so absence of a later-printing notice is a key signal for the unmarked titles.

Full J. B. Lippincott 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 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?

US J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1960) is the true first; the UK first (Heinemann, London, 1960) is a separate first that follows the US. The signature jacket point is the Truman Capote-credited author photograph on the rear panel — Capote took the photo; he did not contribute a blurb (the flap blurb is Jonathan Daniels). Lee rarely signed; authentic signatures are scarce and frequently forged, so provenance is essential.P-036731

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club editions lack the 'First Edition' statement, show a blind-stamp (dimple) on the rear board, have an unpriced jacket flap, and are physically smaller and lighter. The most-faked element is a forged signature — treat any 'signed' copy lacking provenance with suspicion.P-036732

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of To Kill a Mockingbird a first edition?

A first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (J. B. Lippincott) is identified by: First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page, with no later-printing statement beneath the copyright notice.

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. US J.

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

Book-club editions lack the 'First Edition' statement, show a blind-stamp (dimple) on the rear board, have an unpriced jacket flap, and are physically smaller and lighter. The most-faked element is a forged signature — treat any 'signed' copy lacking provenance with suspicion.

I have a first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird — 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.