How to identify a first printing
- First editions generally STATE 'First Edition' on the copyright page — but this alone is NOT conclusive: in offset reprints Gnome sometimes left a prior publisher's 'First Edition' statement standing
- Confirm via binding measurements/bulk and priority dust-jacket points (rear-panel ad titles, jacket art state) documented title-by-title in the Gnome bibliography
- Beware copies bound from Gnome sheets but carrying a 'Doubleday Science Fiction' designation at the spine base — these are late reissues, NOT true Gnome firsts regardless of the copyright statement
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1948 by Martin Greenberg and David Kyle; published Asimov's 'Foundation' trilogy, Robert E. Howard's Conan in hardcover, and Clarke
- Famously undercapitalized — variant bindings/jackets and sheet reissues make point-by-point checking essential
- 'Foundation' (1951) priority points: cloth binding of specified bulk; priority jacket rear panel advertises only three titles (Foundation; Tomorrow and Tomorrow / The Fairy Chessmen; The Sword of Conan)
- Definitive reference: 'Gnome Press: The Complete History and Bibliography'
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Gnome Press. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Gnome Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. First editions generally STATE 'First Edition' on the copyright page — but this alone is NOT conclusive: in offset reprints Gnome sometimes left a prior publisher's 'First Edition' statement standing Confirm via binding measurements/bulk and priority dust-jacket points (rear-panel ad titles, jacket art state) documented title-by-title in the Gnome bibliography
Does Gnome Press use a number line?
Confirm via binding measurements/bulk and priority dust-jacket points (rear-panel ad titles, jacket art state) documented title-by-title in the Gnome bibliography
Is a book-club edition a Gnome Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1948 by Martin Greenberg and David Kyle; published Asimov's 'Foundation' trilogy, Robert E. Howard's Conan in hardcover, and Clarke
What era does this cover?
This covers Gnome Press (1948–1962). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Gnome Press 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.
- Against the Fall of Night (Arthur C. Clarke, 1953)
- Conan the Conqueror (The Hour of the Dragon) (Robert E. Howard, 1950)
- Foundation (Isaac Asimov, 1951)
- Foundation and Empire (Isaac Asimov, 1952)
- I, Robot (Isaac Asimov, 1950)
- Methuselah's Children (Robert A. Heinlein, 1958)
- Second Foundation (Isaac Asimov, 1953)
- The Menace from Earth (Robert A. Heinlein, 1959)
- The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (Robert A. Heinlein, 1959)
- They'd Rather Be Right (aka The Forever Machine) (Mark Clifton & Frank Riley, 1957)