Is My Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Copyright page states 'First Edition' (Atheneum's stated-first practice through the mid-1980s)
• Black cloth with the author's name blind-stamped on the front board, spine lettered in silver; top edge with a pinkish/red publisher's stain
• White typographic dust jacket designed by Harry Ford, with the printed price on the front flap

How Atheneum marked a first edition

• Rule for the number-line era: the lowest number present indicates the printing, so a first printing must still show a 1 in the row. If the 1 (and any lower digits) have dropped off and the line begins at 2 or higher, it…
• Transitional caution: near the changeover a book may carry BOTH a 'First Edition' statement and a number row. When both are present, treat the terminal-1 number row as governing, because a printed 'First Edition' line ca…

Full Atheneum 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 Atheneum 1962 is the true first (precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1964 edition). Albee frequently signed copies; signed firsts are inscribed or signed trade copies, not a separate state.P-007793

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book Club Edition lacks the 'First Edition' statement, has a blind-stamp dot on the rear board, lighter or thinner boards, and an unpriced or clipped jacket. The combination of stated 'First Edition' plus the priced jacket plus the blind-stamped author name plus the pinkish/red top stain confirms the first printing.P-007794

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a first edition?

A first edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (Atheneum) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' (Atheneum's stated-first practice through the mid-1980s).

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 Atheneum 1962 is the true first (precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1964 edition).

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

Book Club Edition lacks the 'First Edition' statement, has a blind-stamp dot on the rear board, lighter or thinner boards, and an unpriced or clipped jacket. The combination of stated 'First Edition' plus the priced jacket plus the blind-stamped author name plus the pinkish/red top stain confirms the first printing.

I have a first edition of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — 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.