4 Ira Levin first editions are documented on this shelf, from A Kiss Before Dying (1953) to The Boys from Brazil (1976) across 2 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Ira Levin title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.
Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a Ira Levin copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- A Kiss Before Dying — 1953 · Simon and SchusterFirst printings state 'first printing' on the copyright page; copies without that stated first printing are later. The binding is green cloth with the title stamped in black on the spine, 244 pages, in a pictorial dust jacket with the price present at the flap. This was Levin's debut novel and won the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. True first is the US Simon and Schuster edition (New York, 1953), preceding the first UK edition (Michael Joseph, London, 1954), which is collected separately: black cloth lettered in white and red on the spine, in the Dennis Beytagh-illustrated dust jacket. No 1953 book-club tell is documented in the sources consulted. Note that the leather-bound Franklin Library reprint (1989) is sometimes marketed with first-edition language; it is a much later reprint, not the 1953 first.
- Rosemary's Baby — 1967 · Random House'First Printing' / 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with the Random House imprint and no later printings. Dust jacket with its printed price with the distinctive pram-silhouette design. First state has the original price and the 'First Edition' wording. US Random House 1967 true first. UK Michael Joseph (1968) is first British. First state identified by the stated First Edition and unclipped the printed price jacket. Book-club: no 'First Edition' statement, rear-board blind-stamp indentation, no jacket price. The Random House stated-first wording separates trade from club.
- The Stepford Wives — 1972 · Random HouseFirst printings state 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath a Random House number line reading '98765432' (the line ending in 2 is correct when accompanied by the First Edition slug). The binding is cream cloth-backed tan boards (half cloth) lettered in gold on the spine, 145 pages, in the Paul Bacon-designed dust jacket with the author photo on the rear panel (name lower left, ISBN lower right) and no…. True first is the US Random House edition (New York, October 1972); the first UK edition (Michael Joseph, London, 1972) followed the same year and is collected separately. Book-club hardcovers dated 1972 are common: they lack the number line and stated First Edition and use cheaper materials. Do not confuse the trade first's publisher-clipped, stickered flap with a club copy's plain unpriced jacket — check the copyright page first.
- The Boys from Brazil — 1976 · Random HouseThe first printing's copyright page carries the 'First Edition' statement together with a Random House number line whose lowest digit is 2 — fedpo.com records the line as '2 4 6 8 7 5 3' with 'FIRST EDITION' stated below it. This is the well-documented Random House quirk in force from roughly 1970 to 2002-03: the 'First Edition' statement stands in for the 1, so the second printing is the same book with the…. The census claim is confirmed: US Random House (New York) is the true first. It was published March 8, 1976 per Kirkus and reviewed in The New York Times 'Books of The Times' column on March 10, 1976; the UK first from Michael Joseph (London) followed in April 1976 and is separately collected in Britain. Michael Joseph firsts of the period are identified by a 'First published in Great Britain (month, year)'…. Book-club printings of this title circulate but no title-specific club collation was located in the sources consulted. Only the general club tells apply — no price present at the jacket flap, a blind-stamped device or dot to the rear board, and lighter bulk/thinner paper than the trade issue. Do not assert a title-specific club point beyond this.
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