How to identify a first printing
- Pre-1930: Scribner seal/device plus month-and-year of publication on copyright page; first printings either carry matching dates on title page and copyright page or show no later printings noted.
- The famous capital 'A' on the copyright page denotes a first printing. Introduced late 1929 and used 1930-1973.
- Classic form 'A-3.64[H]': A = printing (A=1st, B=2nd...), 3.64 = March 1964 date, [H]=hardcover / [P]=paperback. Presence of leading 'A' = true first.
- Later printings drop the 'A' or advance it to B, C, etc.
- After 1973 the letter code was abandoned in favor of a descending number line ending in 1.
Notable points & cautions
- The single 'A' is the single most reliable Scribner point for 1930-1973 and is widely faked/misread — verify it is a standalone 'A' tied to the date code, not a random letter.
- Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' (1952): first issue has the 'A' on the copyright page plus the Scribner seal; absence of the 'A' = later printing.
- Some pre-1930 firsts have no statement at all — rely on matching title/copyright dates and absence of any 'reprinted' notice.
- Distinct from the modern Scribner imprint (now part of Simon & Schuster) which uses a Random-House-style number line.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Scribner, Scribner Library, Scribner Classics. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Charles Scribner's Sons book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Pre-1930: Scribner seal/device plus month-and-year of publication on copyright page; first printings either carry matching dates on title page and copyright page or show no later printings noted. The famous capital 'A' on the copyright page denotes a first printing. Introduced late 1929 and used 1930-1973.
Does Charles Scribner's Sons use a number line?
The famous capital 'A' on the copyright page denotes a first printing. Introduced late 1929 and used 1930-1973.
Is a book-club edition a Charles Scribner's Sons first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. The single 'A' is the single most reliable Scribner point for 1930-1973 and is widely faked/misread — verify it is a standalone 'A' tied to the date code, not a random letter.
What era does this cover?
This covers Charles Scribner's Sons (1846-1978 (vintage convention 1930-1973)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Charles Scribner's Sons titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- 11/22/63 (Stephen King, 2011)
- A Cold Red Sunrise (Stuart M. Kaminsky, 1988)
- A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway, 1929)
- A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal (Joan W. Blos, 1979)
- A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway, 1964)
- A Tramp Across the Continent (Charles F. Lummis, 1892)
- Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens (John E. Mack, 1994)
- Accordion Crimes (Annie Proulx, 1996)
- Across the River and Into the Trees (Ernest Hemingway, 1950)
- All That Remains (Patricia Cornwell, 1992)
- All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr, 2014)
- All the Sad Young Men (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1926)
- American Earth (Erskine Caldwell, 1931)
- Angela's Ashes: A Memoir (Frank McCourt, 1996)
- Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape (Barry Lopez, 1986)
- Bag of Bones (Stephen King, 1998)
- Between Cattails (Terry Tempest Williams, 1985)
- Between Planets (Robert A. Heinlein, 1951)
- Billy Summers (Stephen King, 2021)
- Body of Evidence (Patricia Cornwell, 1991)
- Booked to Die (John Dunning, 1992)
- Cell (Stephen King, 2006)
- Citizen of the Galaxy (Robert A. Heinlein, 1957)
- Close Range: Wyoming Stories (contains "Brokeback Mountain") (Annie Proulx, 1999)
Documenting 155 Charles Scribner's Sons titles in all — browse the full title-by-title library →