Is My Copy of Violent Cases a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a 48-page volume with an introduction by Alan Moore
• McKean's artwork, executed in shades of blue, brown and grey, is reproduced in black-and-white in this first printing (the distinguishing feature versus the later colour reworkings) under a colour cover
• Signed copies are typically inscribed by Gaiman in silver ink

How Escape / Titan Books marked a first edition

• First printings carry a 'First edition' statement with month/year on the copyright page alongside a descending number line ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1') or the alternating '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' form; in either case the…
• Many Titan releases are film/TV tie-ins or the first UK edition of a US original, so distinguish a 'first Titan edition' from the true first appearance, which is often the original US printing.

Full Escape / Titan Books 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 indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

True first is the 1987 UK black-and-white edition. Publisher attribution is genuinely split in the sources between Escape Books and Titan (Titan under Mike Lake published/distributed it), so the dual Escape/Titan attribution is appropriate. Later colour editions (Tundra 1991, Dark Horse, and the 30th-anniversary edition) are later first-thus.P-022462

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Colour and anniversary editions are later first-thus, distinct from the 1987 black-and-white first; the black-and-white reproduction of McKean's blue/brown/grey art is the tell for the true first printing.P-022463

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Violent Cases a first edition?

A first edition of Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (Escape / Titan Books) is identified by: First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a 48-page volume with an introduction by Alan Moore.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. True first is the 1987 UK black-and-white edition.

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

Colour and anniversary editions are later first-thus, distinct from the 1987 black-and-white first; the black-and-white reproduction of McKean's blue/brown/grey art is the tell for the true first printing.

I have a first edition of Violent Cases — 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.