How to Identify a Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• 1950-c.1962 (mass-market originals): paperback originals were the house specialty. Fawcett first issued a pair of unnumbered test anthologies (reprinting Fawcett magazine material) to clear a contractual loophole, then launched the numbered line beginning at 101 with Alan Hynd's 'We Are the Public Enemies' (101), 'Man Story' (102) and John Flagg's 'The Persian Cat' (103). A first printing of a given catalog number is identified by the printing-history block on the copyright page; a title showing only 'First printing, [month year]' (with no second/third) is the first. The catalog number alone does not prove a first printing, because reprints reused the same number with an updated printing line.
• 1950s reprint tell: when Gold Medal reprinted a title it stated 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' etc., often with dates and sometimes total-copies-in-print figures. The earliest dated printing line with no prior printing noted is the first.
• c.1962-1970s: numbering shifted to letter-prefixed price codes, with the catalog numbers climbing into the thousands over time. First printing is still shown by the stated printing history.
• Later Fawcett (under CBS from 1977, then distributed via Ballantine/Random House from 1982): adopts standard conventions - a stated Fawcett Gold Medal printing line plus a descending number line, with 1 present indicating the first printing.
• General rule across all eras: trust the stated printing line over the catalog number; Gold Medal was diligent about printing statements, which makes firsts relatively easy to confirm.

Notable points & cautions

• Launched in 1950; pioneered the paperback original (no prior hardcover), so for a Gold Medal original the 'first edition' is the Gold Medal paperback itself.
• Home of John D. MacDonald, Richard S. Prather, Charles Williams, Day Keene, Gil Brewer, Donald Hamilton, Harry Whittington and MacKinlay Kantor.
• The cover number is a catalog/price code, not an edition number; later printings reuse the number with an updated printing line.
• Crest was Fawcett's reprint imprint; Gold Medal proper denotes originals.
• Acquired by CBS in 1977; distribution moved to Ballantine/Random House in 1982.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Gold Medal Books, Fawcett Gold Medal, Crest (sister reprint imprint), Premier (sister imprint). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. 1950-c.1962 (mass-market originals): paperback originals were the house specialty. Fawcett first issued a pair of unnumbered test anthologies (reprinting Fawcett magazine material) to clear a contractual loophole, then launched the numbered line beginning at 101 with Alan Hynd's 'We Are the Public Enemies' (101), 'Man Story' (102) and John Flagg's 'The Persian Cat' (103). A first printing of a given catalog number is identified by the printing-history block on the copyright page; a title showing only 'First printing, [month year]' (with no second/third) is the first. The catalog number alone does not prove a first printing, because reprints reused the same number with an updated printing line. 1950s reprint tell: when Gold Medal reprinted a title it stated 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' etc., often with dates and sometimes total-copies-in-print figures. The earliest dated printing line with no prior printing noted is the first.

Does Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) use a number line?

1950s reprint tell: when Gold Medal reprinted a title it stated 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' etc., often with dates and sometimes total-copies-in-print figures. The earliest dated printing line with no prior printing noted is the first.

Is a book-club edition a Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Launched in 1950; pioneered the paperback original (no prior hardcover), so for a Gold Medal original the 'first edition' is the Gold Medal paperback itself.

What era does this cover?

This covers Gold Medal Books (Fawcett) (1950-1990s (imprint name continued under Ballantine)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.