How to Identify a Crippen & Landru First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Most titles issued in TWO simultaneous states: (1) a clothbound edition, signed and numbered (limited, e.g., 'one of 150/300/400 copies'), and (2) a trade softcover. The limitation page/colophon states the number and signature.
• Limited clothbound copies are numbered (e.g., '16/400') and signed by the author and/or editor; many include a separately printed bonus chapbook/pamphlet laid in — presence of the chapbook is a state point.
• Trade softcover is the first softcover edition (not a reprint of the cloth); identify by copyright-page edition statement and absence of limitation/signature.
• Cloth lettered on the spine in metallic ink; binding cloth color and spine lettering are described per title.

Notable points & cautions

• Small specialist press (founded 1994, Norfolk VA, later Cincinnati OH) publishing single-author mystery short-story collections — the cloth signed/numbered state is the premium collectible.
• The laid-in chapbook is frequently separated/lost; a complete signed/numbered copy must include it.
• Lost Classics titles collect deceased authors, so 'signed' applies to the editor, not the author — read the limitation wording carefully.
• Douglas Greene (founder); 25th-anniversary 'Silver Bullets' (2019) documents the press.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Regular Series (current authors), Lost Classics Series (vintage/posthumous authors). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Crippen & Landru book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Most titles issued in TWO simultaneous states: (1) a clothbound edition, signed and numbered (limited, e.g., 'one of 150/300/400 copies'), and (2) a trade softcover. The limitation page/colophon states the number and signature. Limited clothbound copies are numbered (e.g., '16/400') and signed by the author and/or editor; many include a separately printed bonus chapbook/pamphlet laid in — presence of the chapbook is a state point.

Does Crippen & Landru use a number line?

Limited clothbound copies are numbered (e.g., '16/400') and signed by the author and/or editor; many include a separately printed bonus chapbook/pamphlet laid in — presence of the chapbook is a state point.

Is a book-club edition a Crippen & Landru first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Small specialist press (founded 1994, Norfolk VA, later Cincinnati OH) publishing single-author mystery short-story collections — the cloth signed/numbered state is the premium collectible.

What era does this cover?

This covers Crippen & Landru (1994-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.