difficulty: easy

copyright_page:
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number in the number line is 1, so this is a first printing. The stated "First Edition" agrees.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number present is 3, so this is the 3rd printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number present is 4, so this is the 4th printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number present is 5, so this is the 5th printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number present is 7, so this is the 7th printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: Direction does not matter: the lowest number present is 1, so it is a first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: medium

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The line begins at 6 because the lower numbers were stripped as the book was reprinted; the lowest present, 6, is the printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: medium

copyright_page:
First published 1978
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The lowest number is 2 with no Random House context, so this is a second printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: medium

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: Split (odd/even) number lines were common; order is irrelevant. The lowest number, 1, is present, so it is a first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: Even though it says "First Edition," the lowest number in the split line is 3 — a later printing of the first edition, not the first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
FIRST EDITION
4 5 6 7 8 9 10

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: "First Edition" describes the edition, which is retained on later printings. The number line's lowest value is 4, so this is the 4th printing of the first edition — not the sought-after first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
FIRST EDITION
5 6 7 8 9 10 11

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: "First Edition" describes the edition, which is retained on later printings. The number line's lowest value is 5, so this is the 5th printing of the first edition — not the sought-after first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
FIRST EDITION
6 7 8 9 10 11 12

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: "First Edition" describes the edition, which is retained on later printings. The number line's lowest value is 6, so this is the 6th printing of the first edition — not the sought-after first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
Random House, New York
FIRST EDITION
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: Random House first printings state "First Edition" and carry a number line whose lowest number is 2 (the 1 is not used). With the "First Edition" statement present, this is a first printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
Random House, New York
8 7 6 5 4 3 2

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: Here the "First Edition" statement is absent and the lowest number is 2, so by Random House practice this is a later (second) printing, not a first.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
[Rear board has a blind-stamped square; dust jacket has no printed price.]

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: A book-club edition can reprint the first edition's page verbatim, number line and all. The blind-stamp on the rear board and the price-clipped/unpriced jacket identify it as a book-club edition, not a trade first.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: medium

copyright_page:
BOOK CLUB EDITION
First published 1961

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: "Book Club Edition" printed on the copyright page or jacket flap is definitive: it is not the publisher's trade first edition.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: easy

copyright_page:
First published 1955
Reprinted 1955, 1956, 1957
This edition 1958

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The reprint history shows multiple impressions after the first; this copy is a later printing, not the first.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


difficulty: medium

copyright_page:
First printing, January 1972
Second printing, March 1972
(no number line)

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: The stated printing history identifies this as the second printing.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


category: insufficient

difficulty: hard

copyright_page:
Copyright 1949 by the author.
Printed in the United States of America.

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: There is no edition statement, no number line, and no reprint history. The copyright page alone is not enough to determine the printing; the title's specific points of issue would be needed.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)


category: insufficient

difficulty: medium

copyright_page:
All rights reserved.
Printed in Great Britain.

question: From this copyright page, is the book a true first edition (first printing)? Give the verdict and the printing number.

rationale: No edition statement, number line, or dates are present, so the printing cannot be determined from this page alone.

license: CC BY 4.0

source: FirstEdBench v1.0 (New Mexico Literacy Project)