Is My True Grit a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First printing is STATED: the copyright page carries the 1968 copyright and the words "First printing" (Simon & Schuster used a stated-first-printing convention in this period — there is no number line)
• A copy WITHOUT the "First printing" line is a later printing or a book-club copy, not the trade first
• Bound in blue-gray cloth, spine stamped in red and gilt, top edge stained yellow, mustard-yellow endpapers
• First-issue dust jacket designed by Paul Davis, its price printed at the front flap (price present / unclipped)

How Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• CROSS-CHECK across all number-line eras: A 1-bearing number line is frequently paired with a spelled-out first-issue statement (which may read 'First Printing' OR 'First Edition' — both occur at S&S). When a positive sta…

Full Simon & Schuster 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?

US Simon & Schuster (1968) is the true first, identified by "First printing" on the copyright page. Uncorrected advance reading copies / proofs in wrappers preceded the trade edition. The UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1969 (a separate British proof also exists); the US trade first precedes the UK edition. Signed Portis copies are scarce.P-036527

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Book Club Edition is the prime confusion. It is distinguished by: (1) NO "First printing" statement on the copyright page; (2) a small blind-stamp (dot/square) impressed on the lower rear board near the spine; (3) a dust jacket issued WITHOUT a printed price at the flap (book-club jackets were printed unpriced — not the same as a price-clipped trade jacket); and often smaller, thinner boards and paper. BCE copies are common; the target is the stated-"First printing" trade copy in the priced Paul Davis jacket.P-036528

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of True Grit a first edition?

A first edition of True Grit by Charles Portis (Simon & Schuster) is identified by: First printing is STATED: the copyright page carries the 1968 copyright and the words "First printing" (Simon & Schuster used a stated-first-printing convention in this period — there is no number line).

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). US Simon & Schuster (1968) is the true first, identified by "First printing" on the copyright page.

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

The Book Club Edition is the prime confusion. It is distinguished by: (1) NO "First printing" statement on the copyright page; (2) a small blind-stamp (dot/square) impressed on the lower rear board near the spine; (3) a dust jacket issued WITHOUT a printed price at the flap (book-club jackets were printed unpriced — not the same as a price-clipped trade jacket); and often smaller, thinner boards and paper. BCE copies are common; the target is the stated-"First printing" trade copy in the priced

I have a first edition of True Grit — 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.