Is My Copy of Wait Until Spring, Bandini a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is Stackpole Sons (New York), 1938 — Fante's first book, published with H. L. Mencken's backing; first edition, first printing as identified by multiple ABAA dealers
• Issued in green (to blue-green) cloth with the spine stamped/lettered in orange and the front board stamped in blind; octavo, 266 pp; dust jacket priced at the flap
• One dealer describes a darker spine with pale lettering, consistent with toning/fading rather than a distinct issue, so binding shade varies copy to copy
• First printings are genuinely uncommon in jacket, as Stackpole's promotion budget was diverted into its concurrent Mein Kampf copyright litigation

How Stackpole Sons marked a first edition

• Trade publisher founded by Edward J. Stackpole in Harrisburg in 1930; the Stackpole Books name dates from a 1959 merger. Modern titles: a descending number line on the copyright page with 1 present indicates a first…
• Many titles also state 'First edition' explicitly; revised editions are labeled (Second edition, Revised and expanded).

Full Stackpole Sons 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 Stackpole Sons (1938) is the confirmed true first. A 'UK Routledge 1939' edition is not corroborated in any dealer listing, library catalog (OpenLibrary), or bibliographic source consulted; no contemporaneous British edition is confirmed (Fante's UK Bandini-novel appearances are later 20th-century reprints, e.g. Black Sparrow/Canongate). Treat Stackpole 1938 as the sole true first pending evidence of any UK issue.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club or later-issue tells documented in the sources consulted; the 1938 Stackpole sheets are distinguished from Black Sparrow (1983+) reprints by publisher imprint and setting.P-044514

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Wait Until Spring, Bandini a first edition?

A first edition of Wait Until Spring, Bandini by John Fante (Stackpole Sons) is identified by: True first is Stackpole Sons (New York), 1938 — Fante's first book, published with H. L. Mencken's backing; first edition, first printing as identified by multiple ABAA dealers.

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 Stackpole Sons (1938) is the confirmed true first.

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

No book-club or later-issue tells documented in the sources consulted; the 1938 Stackpole sheets are distinguished from Black Sparrow (1983+) reprints by publisher imprint and setting.

I have a first edition of Wait Until Spring, Bandini — 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.