Is My Copy of Desperate Characters a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the US Harcourt, Brace & World edition of 1970 (156 pp.), quarter-bound in orange/rust cloth spine over black paper-covered boards, the spine lettered in black and stamped/decorated in yellow, with the dust jacket present and priced at the front flap
• The first printing states 'First edition' on the copyright page with no number line — the Harcourt, Brace & World house point in force before the firm became Harcourt Brace Jovanovich later in 1970 (HBJ books switch to a number line)
• Dealer catalog descriptions differ slightly on the spine-cloth color (orange/rust vs. red) but agree on the black paper boards and the black-and-yellow spine lettering

How Harcourt, Brace & World marked a first edition

• c.1931 onward: stated 'First Edition' or 'First American Edition' on copyright page; the statement was removed on subsequent printings.
• 1960-1970 (Harcourt, Brace & World): continued 'First Edition' / 'First American Edition'.

Full Harcourt, Brace & World 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 Harcourt, Brace & World (1970) precedes the UK edition. A UK issue followed under Macmillan, London (ISBN 0-333-12072-8); the US Harcourt printing is the collected true first. The 1999 W. W. Norton reissue carrying a Jonathan Franzen introduction is a later 'first thus,' not the first edition.P-044980

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club printing is documented for the first here. Later reprints include a Harcourt Brace Jovanovich paperback and the 1999 Norton edition (new introduction) — reprints / 'first thus,' not firsts.P-044981

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Desperate Characters a first edition?

A first edition of Desperate Characters by Paula Fox (Harcourt, Brace & World) is identified by: The true first is the US Harcourt, Brace & World edition of 1970 (156 pp.), quarter-bound in orange/rust cloth spine over black paper-covered boards, the spine lettered in black and stamped/decorated in yellow, with the dust jacket present and priced at the front flap.

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 Harcourt, Brace & World (1970) precedes the UK edition.

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

No book-club printing is documented for the first here. Later reprints include a Harcourt Brace Jovanovich paperback and the 1999 Norton edition (new introduction) — reprints / 'first thus,' not firsts.

I have a first edition of Desperate Characters — 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.