How to Identify a Atheneum First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Copyright page 'First Edition' statement: for the independent era and into the mid-1980s, Atheneum first printings state 'First Edition' (sometimes styled 'first edition') on the copyright page. The presence of that statement together with the absence of any later-printing slug ('Second Printing', etc.) is the primary tell for earlier books.
• Number row (mid-1980s onward): the standard McBride/ILAB convention records that Atheneum 'began using a number row in the mid-1980s.' From that point a first printing carries a full descending printer's line whose lowest digit is 1, typically '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'.
• 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 is a later printing.
• 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 can survive onto later printings while the number row is updated.
• Later Simon & Schuster-era Atheneum children's titles (e.g. Brian Floca's 'Locomotive', 2013) follow standard S&S practice: a first printing shows a complete number row ending in 1 on the copyright page; a stated 'First Edition' may also be present, but the terminal-1 row is the reliable point (bookseller listings for the Floca first printing cite 'complete row of numbers to 1').
• Distinguishing reprints and book-club issues: a genuine trade first printing has a priced dust jacket plus the 'First Edition' statement and/or terminal-1 number row; book-club printings generally lack a jacket price and the number row and often use lighter, cheaper boards. Confirm the copyright-page point on the actual copy rather than relying on a dealer's edition label.

Notable points & cautions

• Do NOT conflate this house with the modern Simon & Schuster children's imprint 'Atheneum Books for Young Readers' (created in the 2000s and holding its own record); this record is the original Atheneum imprint as it appears on the copyright/title page.
• The 'First Edition' statement alone is decisive mainly for the pre-mid-1980s era; from the mid-1980s on, treat the terminal-1 number row as the governing point, since the printed statement can be carried over onto later printings.
• The exact cutover year is approximate: reference works give it as 'mid-1980s'; some derived summaries phrase it as 'through 1986.' Do not treat any single year as a hard boundary. (An unrelated 'late 1976 number row' claim belongs to Dodd, Mead, not Atheneum — do not apply it here.)
• Watch for later-printing tells that reuse the original setting: a copyright page that keeps a 'First Edition' line but whose number row no longer contains a 1 is a later printing, not a first.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Atheneum, Atheneum Publishers, An Atheneum Book. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Atheneum book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Copyright page 'First Edition' statement: for the independent era and into the mid-1980s, Atheneum first printings state 'First Edition' (sometimes styled 'first edition') on the copyright page. The presence of that statement together with the absence of any later-printing slug ('Second Printing', etc.) is the primary tell for earlier books. Number row (mid-1980s onward): the standard McBride/ILAB convention records that Atheneum 'began using a number row in the mid-1980s.' From that point a first printing carries a full descending printer's line whose lowest digit is 1, typically '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'.

Does Atheneum use a number line?

Number row (mid-1980s onward): the standard McBride/ILAB convention records that Atheneum 'began using a number row in the mid-1980s.' From that point a first printing carries a full descending printer's line whose lowest digit is 1, typically '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'.

Is a book-club edition a Atheneum first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Do NOT conflate this house with the modern Simon & Schuster children's imprint 'Atheneum Books for Young Readers' (created in the 2000s and holding its own record); this record is the original Atheneum imprint as it appears on the copyright/title page.

What era does this cover?

This covers Atheneum (independent trade house 1959–1978 (founded by Alfred A. Knopf Jr., Simon Michael Bessie, Hiram Haydn); merged into Charles Scribner's Sons 1978, Macmillan 1984, Simon & Schuster 1994). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.