Is My Copy of Riding the Earthboy 40 a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First printing" on the copyright page — World Publishing's practice was to state either "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the copyright page of firsts (Quill & Brush
• ILAB), and multiple independent dealers (Alexanderplatz Books, Grendel Books, River Break Books, Peter Keisogloff Rare Books, Compass Rose, Town's End) describe 1971 copies as stated first printings
• Physical points: slim octavo, 54 pp. (collated [10], 3–54, [2]); textured faux-leather boards with gilt spine lettering — dealers describe the board color variously as orange, red, or maroon, so allow for that range; glossy pictorial jacket designed by Milton Charles, with the price present at the front flap on unclipped copies
• Bubbling to the pastedowns is reported by dealers as a production fault of the binding, not damage; remainder marks to the bottom edge or rear endpapers are common and do not affect first-printing status
• An uncorrected proof in wrappers (described as mustard) is recorded
• No first-state text errors are documented

How The World Publishing Company marked a first edition

• PRIMARY METHOD (the convention omits this): World Publishing typically printed a code on the TITLE PAGE indicating impression and print date. A first printing shows a bare code such as 'WP 9-50' (= printed Sept 1950…
• Later printings are signaled by a NUMBER PREFIXED to that title-page code, e.g. '3HC1058' = 3rd printing, printed Oct 1958. Absence of a leading number on the code supports a first printing.

Full The World Publishing 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-only true first: The World Publishing Company, New York, 1971 — Welch's first book. Scarce for a documented reason: dealers consistently report that World folded as the book was being introduced and the edition was never properly distributed. The trap on this title is the Harper & Row edition (New York; dated 1975 or 1976 in dealer listings, most commonly 1976), which is a REVISED AND EXPANDED edition adding seven new poems — a "first thus," not the first, though many sellers list it simply as "First Edition"; a simultaneous Harper paperback of the revised text exists. Later Carnegie Mellon/Confluence (1997) and Penguin Poets (2004) issues reprint the revised text and are reprints.P-043488

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for the World 1971 edition — the printing barely reached the trade. The reprint to watch for is the Harper & Row revised and expanded edition, which is a different text, not a club copy. Remainder-marked World copies are still first printings.P-043489

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Riding the Earthboy 40 a first edition?

A first edition of Riding the Earthboy 40 by James Welch (The World Publishing Company) is identified by: The first printing states "First printing" on the copyright page — World Publishing's practice was to state either "First Edition" or "First Printing" on the copyright page of firsts (Quill & Brush; ILAB), and multiple independent dealers (Alexanderplatz Books, Grendel Books, River Break Books, Peter Keisogloff Rare Books, Compass Rose, Town's End) describe 1971 copies as stated first printings.

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-only true first: The World Publishing Company, New York, 1971 — Welch's first book.

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

No book-club issue is documented for the World 1971 edition — the printing barely reached the trade. The reprint to watch for is the Harper & Row revised and expanded edition, which is a different text, not a club copy. Remainder-marked World copies are still first printings.

I have a first edition of Riding the Earthboy 40 — 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.