Is My 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 prin…

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. The census claim of a 'UK Routledge 1939' edition could NOT be 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.

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.

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 — 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.