How to identify a first printing
- Sequential catalog number on the spine/cover identifies the title; the number is not a printing count.
- First printing: the copyright page lacks a later-printing statement. Later Popular Library printings add a printing line, and a price bump on the same catalog number signals a reprint.
- From the modern mass-market era onward Popular Library used a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, Popular Library was largely a reprint house, so the Popular Library edition is frequently NOT a work's first appearance; check for a prior hardcover.
- It did issue some paperback originals (genre, noir and western) where the Popular Library is the first appearance.
- Its cover device was a pine tree, a play on co-founder Ned Pines's name; later corporate moves (Curtis, then the Fawcett/CBS orbit) shifted printing conventions toward standard mass-market number lines.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Popular Library. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Popular Library book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Sequential catalog number on the spine/cover identifies the title; the number is not a printing count. First printing: the copyright page lacks a later-printing statement. Later Popular Library printings add a printing line, and a price bump on the same catalog number signals a reprint.
Does Popular Library use a number line?
First printing: the copyright page lacks a later-printing statement. Later Popular Library printings add a printing line, and a price bump on the same catalog number signals a reprint.
Is a book-club edition a Popular Library first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, Popular Library was largely a reprint house, so the Popular Library edition is frequently NOT a work's first appearance; check for a prior hardcover.
What era does this cover?
This covers Popular Library (1942-1980s). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.