Is My Wide Sargasso Sea a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: André Deutsch, London, first impression October 1966
• Bound in the publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt; dust wrapper designed by Eric Thomas, showing Antoinette Cosway on the front panel; the text carries Francis Wyndham's introduction
• The decisive point is the copyright-page verso: a first impression reads 'First published 1966' with no reprint or impression statement
• This matters more than usual here because a second impression appeared in December 1966 and is also dated 1966 — the title-page year will not separate the two, and a dealer listing an ostensible 1966 first has been seen to be a December second impression
• On unclipped jackets the price is present at the flap

How André Deutsch marked a first edition

• First printing = statement present with no subsequent-impression lines

Full André Deutsch 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 American 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?

True first is André Deutsch, London, 1966 (first impression October 1966) — the London claim is confirmed. The census date for the American edition is WRONG and is corrected here: the first American edition is W. W. Norton, New York, 1966, NOT 1967. Norton first printings are so stated on the copyright page and carry a jacket with art by Bill Logan; ABAA dealer descriptions consistently date the first American edition 1966. Both are collected — Deutsch London 1966 is the true first, Norton New York 1966 the first American — and because both bear the same year, the imprint rather than the date is what distinguishes them.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The commonest trap is the André Deutsch second impression of December 1966, which shares the 1966 title-page date and is separated only by the impression statement on the verso. No documented book-club issue of the Deutsch first was corroborated against two independent sources in this pass.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Wide Sargasso Sea a first edition?

A first edition of Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (André Deutsch) is identified by: First edition, first impression: André Deutsch, London, first impression October 1966.

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. True first is André Deutsch, London, 1966 (first impression October 1966) — the London claim is confirmed.

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

The commonest trap is the André Deutsch second impression of December 1966, which shares the 1966 title-page date and is separated only by the impression statement on the verso. No documented book-club issue of the Deutsch first was corroborated against two independent sources in this pass.

I have a first edition of Wide Sargasso Sea — 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.