Is My White Fang a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true trade first was published by The Macmillan Company, New York, in October 1906, with the copyright page reading "Published October, 1906" (a tiny 1905 printing exists "for copyright purposes only" and is not the trade issue)
• It is bound in grey-green cloth with the title stamped in white and a small illustration stamped in black and white on the front cover, and is complete with eight full-page color plates by Charles Livingston Bull, including a tissue-guarded frontispiece
• The recognized point of issue is the title leaf: Merle Johnson posited the integral title leaf (conjugate, part of the gathering) as the earliest state, which is seldom seen, while the far commoner published state has the title leaf tipped in on a stub — so title-leaf priority is genuinely debated among bibliographers (Johnson vs
• Woodbridge/BAL)
• Binding, plates, and dating are corroborated across multiple dealer descriptions and the London identification literature

How The Macmillan Company, New York marked a first edition

• FIRM SPLIT FIRST — this is the master rule. 'Macmillan' is not one publisher. The London parent was founded in 1843 by Daniel and Alexander Macmillan; George Edward Brett opened the New York office in 1869; in 1896 the f…
• Macmillan of Canada (Toronto, 1905–2002): the standard reference verdict is that this firm DOES NOT DESIGNATE first editions and provides no marks distinguishing printings. Do not assume a Canadian Macmillan first becaus…

Full The Macmillan Company, New York first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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?

US Macmillan (New York) October 1906 is the true first; the UK Methuen edition followed in 1907. US precedence is standard and not in dispute; the US Macmillan issue is the collected first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Grosset & Dunlap and similar reprints omit the Macmillan imprint and typically drop the Bull color-plate suite; period book-club issues are not a factor for a 1906 title.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of White Fang a first edition?

A first edition of White Fang by Jack London (The Macmillan Company, New York) is identified by: The true trade first was published by The Macmillan Company, New York, in October 1906, with the copyright page reading "Published October, 1906" (a tiny 1905 printing exists "for copyright purposes only" and is not the trade issue).

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 Macmillan (New York) October 1906 is the true first; the UK Methuen edition followed in 1907.

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

Later Grosset & Dunlap and similar reprints omit the Macmillan imprint and typically drop the Bull color-plate suite; period book-club issues are not a factor for a 1906 title.

I have a first edition of White Fang — 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.