How to Identify a Drawn & Quarterly First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Book-trade publisher: the copyright page states 'First edition' and/or 'First printing' with a month and year; many titles also carry a descending number line (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1') where the lowest digit equals the printing.
• First printing = the lowest number in the line is '1' and/or explicit 'First edition' wording with no later-printing statement.
• Distributed in the US by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (a Macmillan imprint), so many D+Q copyright pages follow Macmillan-style number-line formatting; confirm the '1' is present in the line.

Notable points & cautions

• Founded 1990 by Chris Oliveros; the anthology magazine 'Drawn & Quarterly' debuted in April 1990 and predates the book program, and is identified by issue indicia.
• High-demand titles (Chester Brown, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Lynda Barry, Moomin hardcovers) frequently went to multiple printings, so the number line / printing statement is the decisive point.
• Some Tomine and Seth titles were co-published or distributed differently across editions — verify the stated edition wording per title.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Petits Livres (children's), D+Q (manga/reprint line incl. Tatsumi, Moomin). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Drawn & Quarterly book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Book-trade publisher: the copyright page states 'First edition' and/or 'First printing' with a month and year; many titles also carry a descending number line (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1') where the lowest digit equals the printing. First printing = the lowest number in the line is '1' and/or explicit 'First edition' wording with no later-printing statement.

Does Drawn & Quarterly use a number line?

First printing = the lowest number in the line is '1' and/or explicit 'First edition' wording with no later-printing statement.

Is a book-club edition a Drawn & Quarterly first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1990 by Chris Oliveros; the anthology magazine 'Drawn & Quarterly' debuted in April 1990 and predates the book program, and is identified by issue indicia.

What era does this cover?

This covers Drawn & Quarterly (1990-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.