Is My Copy of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London, 1922
• The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'Published July, 1922' with no later printings listed (Funk & Wagnalls' dated-printing convention)
• Thick octavo, 627 pp including the index, illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographic plates, in original blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine and front board
• Corroborated by two independent dealer descriptions (Ernestoic Books via AbeBooks; biblio.com); a reproduced Emily Post inscription notes the first edition is 'stained blue at the top,' consistent with a blue-stained top edge, though top-edge treatment is not consistently reported

How Funk & Wagnalls Company marked a first edition

• 1877-c.1929: first editions carry no later-printing statement; occasionally a 'Published [month, year]' line appears on the copyright page. Identify a first by the absence of any later-printing notice.

Full Funk & Wagnalls Company 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. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
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 first (Funk & Wagnalls, 1922) is the true first and the collected edition; it was issued jointly under the New York and London imprint in 1922, so there is no separate UK or original-language precedence issue.P-045638

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The book was revised and reset repeatedly, each later printing stating a later 'Published...' month/year on the copyright page. The 1969 'Replica Edition' reproduces the 1922 text and is a modern facsimile, not the first; any copy dated later than 'Published July, 1922' is a reprint.P-045639

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home a first edition?

A first edition of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home by Emily Post (Funk & Wagnalls Company) is identified by: True first: Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London, 1922.

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

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US first (Funk & Wagnalls, 1922) is the true first and the collected edition; it was issued jointly under the New York and London imprint in 1922, so there is no separate UK or original-language precedence issue.

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

The book was revised and reset repeatedly, each later printing stating a later 'Published...' month/year on the copyright page. The 1969 'Replica Edition' reproduces the 1922 text and is a modern facsimile, not the first; any copy dated later than 'Published July, 1922' is a reprint.

I have a first edition of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home — 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.