Is My Youngblood Hawke a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The words 'First Edition' are stated on the copyright page with no mention of later printings
• As a further confirmation, Doubleday firsts of this era carry a gutter code (a letter-plus-number printing code) at the foot of the last page of text, the letter indicating the year of printing
• The trade first is a thick octavo bound in cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a priced (unclipped) dust jacket whose spine shows orange, tan, and black with black and white lettering; the trade first lacks a rear-board blind-stamp
• The printed flap price should be present and confirms only that the jacket is unclipped, never a valuation

How Doubleday & Company marked a first edition

• Mid-1958–early 1959: numerical gutter code (1–52) on the last page of text indicating the WEEK of printing. Early 1959–1987: added a LETTER code before the week code indicating the YEAR.

Full Doubleday & Company 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 Doubleday is the true first, 1962; a UK Collins edition also appeared in 1962 as a separate setting.P-011440

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club editions carry a blind-stamp (small dot or square) to the lower rear board; note that some book-club copies also print 'First Edition,' so confirm the absence of the rear-board blind-stamp, and where present the Doubleday gutter code, to identify the trade first.P-011441

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Youngblood Hawke a first edition?

A first edition of Youngblood Hawke by Herman Wouk (Doubleday & Company) is identified by: The words 'First Edition' are stated on the copyright page with no mention of later printings.

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 Doubleday is the true first, 1962; a UK Collins edition also appeared in 1962 as a separate setting.

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

Book club editions carry a blind-stamp (small dot or square) to the lower rear board; note that some book-club copies also print 'First Edition,' so confirm the absence of the rear-board blind-stamp, and where present the Doubleday gutter code, to identify the trade first.

I have a first edition of Youngblood Hawke — 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.