How to identify a first printing
- First printing: the copyright page states 'First Printing' (often as 'First Signet printing, Month Year') with no later-printing lines; later printings stack the printing history. This explicit statement is the most reliable tell.
- Signet/NAL adopted a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. From roughly the 1970s on the 'First Signet printing, Month Year' line plus the number line appear together.
- The catalog-number prefix encodes the price/format era (early Signet 25-cent numbers, then letter-price prefixes such as D-, T-, Q-); useful for dating, not a printing count.
Notable points & cautions
- NAL was formed in 1948 from the US branch of Penguin; Signet was the mass-market line, Mentor the nonfiction/quality line, and Plume and Meridian the trade lines.
- Signet was primarily a reprint house but issued many important paperback originals (notably Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer novels) where the Signet is the true first or first paperback.
- Onyx and Roc are later NAL genre imprints (Roc for science fiction and fantasy) using standard modern number-line firsts.
- Distinguish 'Signet Classic' (reprints of public-domain or established works, never a true first) from Signet genre originals.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Signet, Signet Classics, Mentor, Plume, Meridian, NAL, Onyx, Roc. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Signet / New American Library (NAL) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. First printing: the copyright page states 'First Printing' (often as 'First Signet printing, Month Year') with no later-printing lines; later printings stack the printing history. This explicit statement is the most reliable tell. Signet/NAL adopted a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. From roughly the 1970s on the 'First Signet printing, Month Year' line plus the number line appear together.
Does Signet / New American Library (NAL) use a number line?
Signet/NAL adopted a descending number line; a complete line ending in 1 indicates a first printing. From roughly the 1970s on the 'First Signet printing, Month Year' line plus the number line appear together.
Is a book-club edition a Signet / New American Library (NAL) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. NAL was formed in 1948 from the US branch of Penguin; Signet was the mass-market line, Mentor the nonfiction/quality line, and Plume and Meridian the trade lines.
What era does this cover?
This covers Signet / New American Library (NAL) (1948-1990s). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.