How to Identify a Pocket Books First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• First printing was typically stated on the copyright page in the early and mid era; later printings add a printing line (2nd printing, and so on), so the absence of any later-printing statement indicates a first.
• Modern Pocket Books uses a number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing.
• The sequential catalog number on the spine identifies the title, not the printing; reissues take new numbers.
• The kangaroo colophon (Gertrude the kangaroo) changes in style across periods, making it an era marker rather than a per-printing point.

Notable points & cautions

• Pocket Books launched the modern American mass-market paperback in 1939. Its number 1 title was James Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'; Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' was number 7 in the initial 1939 launch list, not number 1. Pocket was overwhelmingly a reprint house, so the Pocket edition is rarely the true first of a work.
• Permabooks (launched by Doubleday in 1948 as hardcover-bound 'permanent' editions and acquired by Pocket in 1954) and Cardinal (a Pocket imprint from 1951) were Pocket lines; format and date matter when identifying.
• Washington Square Press was Pocket's quality/trade and academic line.
• Some genre paperback originals and tie-ins did originate at Pocket; check for a prior hardcover before calling a Pocket the first.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Pocket Books, Permabooks, Cardinal, Pocket Library, Washington Square Press, Archway, Trident. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Pocket Books book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. First printing was typically stated on the copyright page in the early and mid era; later printings add a printing line (2nd printing, and so on), so the absence of any later-printing statement indicates a first. Modern Pocket Books uses a number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing.

Does Pocket Books use a number line?

Modern Pocket Books uses a number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing.

Is a book-club edition a Pocket Books first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Pocket Books launched the modern American mass-market paperback in 1939. Its number 1 title was James Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'; Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' was number 7 in the initial 1939 launch list, not number 1. Pocket was overwhelmingly a reprint house, so the Pocket edition is rarely the true first of a work.

What era does this cover?

This covers Pocket Books (1939-present (now an imprint of Simon & Schuster)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.