Is My Why Me? (Dortmunder #5) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The Viking Press, New York, 1983, hardcover; the fifth Dortmunder novel, in which the crew steals the ninety-carat Byzantine Fire ruby
• The dust jacket carries art by Bob Shein with jacket design by R. Adelson
• Viking firsts of this period state "First published in 1983 by The Viking Press" on the copyright page with no additional printing statement
• The jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap

How Viking Press marked a first edition

• From about 1937 onward: first printings state "First published by The Viking Press in [year]" or "Published by The Viking Press in [year]" with no later-printing notice; later printings were noted, and from the 1980s a n…

Full Viking Press 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?

The US Viking Press hardcover, 1983, is the true first edition; confirm by the Viking first-published statement on the copyright page and the Bob Shein jacket art with R. Adelson jacket design.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A book-club edition exists and is distinguished by a blindstamp to the rear board, smaller/lighter boards, and the absence of any printed price on the jacket (whereas the trade first should show the printed price).

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Why Me? (Dortmunder #5) a first edition?

A first edition of Why Me? (Dortmunder #5) by Donald E. Westlake (Viking Press) is identified by: The Viking Press, New York, 1983, hardcover; the fifth Dortmunder novel, in which the crew steals the ninety-carat Byzantine Fire ruby.

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. The US Viking Press hardcover, 1983, is the true first edition; confirm by the Viking first-published statement on the copyright page and the Bob Shein jacket art with R.

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

A book-club edition exists and is distinguished by a blindstamp to the rear board, smaller/lighter boards, and the absence of any printed price on the jacket (whereas the trade first should show the printed price).

I have a first edition of Why Me? (Dortmunder #5) — what should I do?

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 lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

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.