How to Identify a Poseidon Press First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Poseidon was a Simon & Schuster imprint and follows S&S copyright-page practice: from 1981 onward S&S imprints identify the printing by a number line, not by a spelled-out 'First Edition' slug. Poseidon books generally do NOT carry the words 'First Edition' — read the number line instead.
• In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (documented on Poseidon titles such as A Frolic of His Own and Stones from the River, both 1994) or a plain ascending '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' (documented on George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream, 1982). Presence of the numeral 1 is the first-printing tell in both forms.
• Verify no explicit later-printing statement (e.g. 'Second printing') appears on the copyright page — any such note overrides the number line — and that the title page shows the original text, not a revised/subsequent edition (a common S&S caveat where a '1' line can still sit under a revised edition).
• Confirm the S&S 'sower' colophon: on at least some Poseidon hardcovers (e.g. Fevre Dream) the sower emblem is stamped on the bottom page edges. Poseidon ISBNs run under the Simon & Schuster 0-671 prefix, a useful consistency check.
• Distinguish trade firsts from book-club editions, the main trap for collected Poseidon titles (e.g. Clive Barker's Cabal, 1988): Poseidon BCEs were distributed through Doubleday's book clubs. Doubleday-style book-club copies typically lack a printed price on the jacket flap and carry a small blind-stamped impression (dot or geometric mark) on the rear board, with lighter/thinner boards; a genuine trade first has a price-printed flap and no such blindstamp.
• Match the dust jacket to the recorded first-issue state for the specific title (correct front-flap price present and unclipped, correct art/printing) — identification via jacket state, not valuation.

Notable points & cautions

• Era boundary correction: although Simon & Schuster folded the imprint circa 1993, genuine Poseidon-imprint first editions dated 1994 exist (e.g. William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own; Ursula Hegi, Stones from the River). Do NOT treat a 1994 Poseidon date as evidence of a reissue — those are true Poseidon firsts. Later reissues under a different S&S imprint (post-fold) are what to watch for, not 1994 dates per se.
• Book-club editions are the biggest source of confusion for sought-after Poseidon titles (Barker's Cabal, Martin's Fevre Dream). BCEs went out through Doubleday book clubs and look near-identical; the reliable tells are the unpriced jacket flap and the blind-stamp on the rear board.
• Poseidon rarely if ever printed the literal phrase 'First Edition' — relying on that phrase will mislead. The number line (lowest digit = printing) is the authoritative method.
• Number-line style is not uniform across the run: expect both the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' and, on some titles, a plain ascending line. In both, presence of the numeral 1 marks the first printing.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Poseidon Press, A Poseidon Press Book, Poseidon Press / Simon & Schuster. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Poseidon Press book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Poseidon was a Simon & Schuster imprint and follows S&S copyright-page practice: from 1981 onward S&S imprints identify the printing by a number line, not by a spelled-out 'First Edition' slug. Poseidon books generally do NOT carry the words 'First Edition' — read the number line instead. In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (documented on Poseidon titles such as A Frolic of His Own and Stones from the River, both 1994) or a plain ascending '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' (documented on George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream, 1982). Presence of the numeral 1 is the first-printing tell in both forms.

Does Poseidon Press use a number line?

In the S&S/Poseidon number line the LOWEST numeral present indicates the printing: a first printing still contains the '1'; a second printing drops the 1 (lowest is 2), and so on. This holds whether the line is the split S&S form '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (documented on Poseidon titles such as A Frolic of His Own and Stones from the River, both 1994) or a plain ascending '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' (documented on George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream, 1982). Presence of the numeral 1 is the first-printing tell in both forms.

Is a book-club edition a Poseidon Press first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Era boundary correction: although Simon & Schuster folded the imprint circa 1993, genuine Poseidon-imprint first editions dated 1994 exist (e.g. William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own; Ursula Hegi, Stones from the River). Do NOT treat a 1994 Poseidon date as evidence of a reissue — those are true Poseidon firsts. Later reissues under a different S&S imprint (post-fold) are what to watch for, not 1994 dates per se.

What era does this cover?

This covers Poseidon Press (1982–1994 (Simon & Schuster literary imprint; founded/run by Ann Patty)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.