How to identify a first printing
- Historic E.P. Dutton (founded 1852): first printings often identified by the absence of later-printing statements; many mid-century titles state 'First Edition' or 'First Printing'.
- Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.
- Modern Dutton (Penguin): states 'First Edition' with a descending number line ending in 1.
- Presence of 1 in the line plus the stated First Edition = first in the modern era.
Notable points & cautions
- One of the oldest US houses (E.P. Dutton, est. 1852); diverse list including Winnie-the-Pooh US editions.
- Acquired by Penguin (Dutton/NAL) in the 1980s–90s; now a Penguin Publishing Group imprint within PRH.
- Pre-modern Dutton requires absence-of-reprint logic; the famous Pooh/Milne titles have specific bibliographic points beyond house convention.
- Plume (trade paperback) is largely a reprint line — usually NOT a first.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: E.P. Dutton (historic), Dutton Children's Books, Plume (trade paper, sister), New American Library/NAL (sister under Penguin). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Dutton book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Historic E.P. Dutton (founded 1852): first printings often identified by the absence of later-printing statements; many mid-century titles state 'First Edition' or 'First Printing'. Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.
Does Dutton use a number line?
Number line / 'W' codes and date codes appear on some 20th-century Dutton books.
Is a book-club edition a Dutton first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. One of the oldest US houses (E.P. Dutton, est. 1852); diverse list including Winnie-the-Pooh US editions.
What era does this cover?
This covers Dutton (1852–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Dutton titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- A Confederacy of Dunces (skip — covered). Instead: Bastard Out of Carolina (Dorothy Allison, 1992)
- Code to Zero (Ken Follett, 2000)
- Double Fudge (Judy Blume, 2002)
- Edge of Eternity (Ken Follett, 2014)
- Fall of Giants (Ken Follett, 2010)
- Hell of a Book (Jason Mott, 2021)
- Hornet Flight (Ken Follett, 2002)
- Houses Without Doors (Peter Straub, 1990)
- Jackdaws (Ken Follett, 2001)
- Seven Guitars (August Wilson, 1996)
- The Burglar in the Library (Lawrence Block, 1997)
- The Burglar in the Rye (Lawrence Block, 1999)
- The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart (Lawrence Block, 1995)
- The Piano Lesson (August Wilson, 1990)
- The Regulators (Richard Bachman (Stephen King), 1996)
- The Throat (Peter Straub, 1993)
- Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (John Grisham, 2010)
- Three Tall Women (Edward Albee, 1995)
- Two Trains Running (August Wilson, 1992)
- Whiteout (Ken Follett, 2004)
- Winter of the World (Ken Follett, 2012)
- World Without End (Ken Follett, 2007)