Is My Copy of Two Years Before the Mast a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, published September 1840 by Harper & Brothers as No. CVI in 'Harper's Family Library,' issued anonymously apart from the author's initials appearing on page 5
• Two printings dated 1840 are recorded; the true first printing is identified by a dot over the 'i' in the word 'in' (first line of the copyright notice) and by an unbroken running head on page 9 -- both absent or altered in the second 1840 printing
• BAL records two binding states: binding A in grained black cloth with the spine stamped in gold, and binding B in tan muslin stamped in black (the tan muslin itself occurring in three further sub-states distinguished by variant lists of other Harper's Family Library titles printed on the back cover)

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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. 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 dot-over-the-i, unbroken-running-head state is the first printing; the no-dot, broken-running-head state is the second. Both are dated 1840 on the title page, so it is these internal textual points, not the imprint date, that establish priority.P-035567

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Dana's 1869 'author's edition,' published by Fields, Osgood & Co. of Boston after the original copyright expired, revised the text throughout and added a long appendix, 'Twenty-Four Years After,' describing his 1859 return to California; a copy containing that appendix is this later revised edition, not the anonymous 1840 Harper's Family Library first edition.P-035568

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Two Years Before the Mast a first edition?

A first edition of Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr. (published anonymously) (Harper & Brothers, "Harper's Family Library" No. 106) is identified by: First edition, published September 1840 by Harper & Brothers as No. CVI in 'Harper's Family Library,' issued anonymously apart from the author's initials appearing on page 5.

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. The dot-over-the-i, unbroken-running-head state is the first printing; the no-dot, broken-running-head state is the second.

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

Dana's 1869 'author's edition,' published by Fields, Osgood & Co. of Boston after the original copyright expired, revised the text throughout and added a long appendix, 'Twenty-Four Years After,' describing his 1859 return to California; a copy containing that appendix is this later revised edition, not the anonymous 1840 Harper's Family Library first edition.

I have a first edition of Two Years Before the Mast — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.