How to identify a first printing
- 1807-late 1960s: Firm dates to Charles Wiley's 1807 Manhattan shop; the present John Wiley & Sons name dates to 1876. Through the late 1960s, Wiley scientific, technical, and trade titles carried NO first-printing statement. A first printing is identified by the absence of any later-printing or later-edition notice on the copyright page; revised works state their edition.
- Late 1960s-present: A number line was adopted on the copyright page; the first printing contains the digit '1' in the sequence (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'), and the lowest digit present indicates the printing. This applies to the 'For Dummies' and technical imprints as well.
- Wiley-Interscience and Wiley-VCH (STM monographs and serials): identified by volume and edition, following the contemporary Wiley number-line convention for the printing.
Notable points & cautions
- The late-1960s transition is the key fact: a Wiley title from before that change has no printing statement, so a copyright page with no later-printing notice is the first. Sources describe this as 'the late 1960s' rather than a single fixed year, so an exact '1969' should not be asserted.
- Acquired Blackwell Publishing (2007), forming Wiley-Blackwell; Jossey-Bass and Pfeiffer (professional and business) retain their own copyright-page styles.
- Interscience Publishers was an independent house absorbed by Wiley (1961) and thereafter used as the Wiley-Interscience STM imprint.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Wiley, Wiley-Interscience, Wiley-Blackwell (post-2007), Wiley-VCH (German STM), Wiley-Liss, Jossey-Bass, Pfeiffer, Sybex (technical, acquired), Wrox (technical, acquired), For Dummies / Wiley Publishing, Capstone, Ernst & Sohn. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my John Wiley & Sons (trade/STM) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1807-late 1960s: Firm dates to Charles Wiley's 1807 Manhattan shop; the present John Wiley & Sons name dates to 1876. Through the late 1960s, Wiley scientific, technical, and trade titles carried NO first-printing statement. A first printing is identified by the absence of any later-printing or later-edition notice on the copyright page; revised works state their edition. Late 1960s-present: A number line was adopted on the copyright page; the first printing contains the digit '1' in the sequence (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'), and the lowest digit present indicates the printing. This applies to the 'For Dummies' and technical imprints as well.
Does John Wiley & Sons (trade/STM) use a number line?
Late 1960s-present: A number line was adopted on the copyright page; the first printing contains the digit '1' in the sequence (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'), and the lowest digit present indicates the printing. This applies to the 'For Dummies' and technical imprints as well.
Is a book-club edition a John Wiley & Sons (trade/STM) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. The late-1960s transition is the key fact: a Wiley title from before that change has no printing statement, so a copyright page with no later-printing notice is the first. Sources describe this as 'the late 1960s' rather than a single fixed year, so an exact '1969' should not be asserted.
What era does this cover?
This covers John Wiley & Sons (trade/STM) (1807-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.