Is My Copy of Big as Life a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain
• First printings carry the words 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (Simon & Schuster's 1966 practice; no number line), and the priced dust jacket carries no review blurbs (identification only, price present at the flap)
• Because Doctorow was dissatisfied with this, his second book, and never permitted it to be reprinted, effectively every copy is a first edition and the title is genuinely his scarcest — there are no authorized later printings to confuse

How Simon & Schuster marked a first edition

• ERA 2 — Mid-century, pre-number-line (1937–mid-1973): Still negative identification — a first printing carries no later-printing notice, while second and subsequent printings are consistently marked (dated, sometimes…

Full Simon & Schuster first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition. No contemporary UK edition was published, and because the author suppressed the book there is no authorized later printing; any modern reappearance of the text is a much-later reissue, not a competing first.P-044876

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented; the defining fact is that the book was never reprinted at all, so a jacketed copy with 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page is the only issue.P-044877

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Big as Life a first edition?

A first edition of Big as Life by E. L. Doctorow (Simon & Schuster) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition is documented; the defining fact is that the book was never reprinted at all, so a jacketed copy with 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page is the only issue.

I have a first edition of Big as Life — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.