How to Identify a The Bodley Head First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• From c.1929 onward, first editions state 'First published [Year]' or 'First published [Month, Year]' / 'First edition published [Month, Year]' on the copyright page; this copyright-page convention does NOT apply to the early John Lane / 1890s era (1887-c.1928)
• Later printings are noted with added impression/'Reprinted'/'Second impression' lines on the copyright page; for post-1929 books the absence of such reprint notation indicates a first printing
• Early Bodley Head / John Lane (1887-1920s) books carry no 'First published' statement and must be identified by title-page date, binding and issue points, advertisements, and standard author bibliographies (e.g., the John Lane 3/6 Christie novels) rather than a copyright-page statement
• Known exception: the first edition of John Cheever's 'The Enormous Radio' (1953) bears a Roman numeral '1' with no first-edition statement, so the statement-plus-no-reprint-notation rule is not universally reliable
• Modern Bodley Head (Random House / Penguin Random House sibling) uses a printer's number line; the lowest digit present (a line ending in or containing 1) indicates a first printing

Notable points & cautions

• Early Bodley Head (John Lane, 1890s) is famous for 'The Yellow Book' (1894-97) and 1890s aesthetic/decadent-movement design (Aubrey Beardsley)
• Published Agatha Christie's first novel 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (UK, 21 Jan 1921) and her early novels under a Bodley Head contract
• Graham Greene was a director of The Bodley Head (c.1957/58-1968, under Max Reinhardt) and published several of his books there
• Published Maurice Sendak in the UK (Max Reinhardt era)
• Founded 1887 by John Lane and Elkin Mathews; acquired by Random House in 1987 and now a Penguin Random House imprint
• Month is sometimes included in the post-1929 'First published' statement, useful for dating; not present in pre-1929 books

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Bodley Head Children's, The Bodley Head (under Random House later). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my The Bodley Head book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. From c.1929 onward, first editions state 'First published [Year]' or 'First published [Month, Year]' / 'First edition published [Month, Year]' on the copyright page; this copyright-page convention does NOT apply to the early John Lane / 1890s era (1887-c.1928) Later printings are noted with added impression/'Reprinted'/'Second impression' lines on the copyright page; for post-1929 books the absence of such reprint notation indicates a first printing

Does The Bodley Head use a number line?

Later printings are noted with added impression/'Reprinted'/'Second impression' lines on the copyright page; for post-1929 books the absence of such reprint notation indicates a first printing

Is a book-club edition a The Bodley Head first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Early Bodley Head (John Lane, 1890s) is famous for 'The Yellow Book' (1894-97) and 1890s aesthetic/decadent-movement design (Aubrey Beardsley)

What era does this cover?

This covers The Bodley Head (1887-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.