Is My Copy of The Blade Itself a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Gollancz hardcover, London, published 4 May 2006
• The first printing carries the Gollancz number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" on the copyright page; the 1 must be present
• The author's first book and the first volume of the First Law trilogy; jacket design by Laura Brett
• Priced jacket: price present at the flap
• Format trap: Gollancz issued the title in 2006 in both hardcover and trade paperback, and the library record for the 2006 Gollancz printing carries both ISBNs together (0-575-07785-9 and 0-575-07786-7)
• Dealers assign these two ISBNs to the two formats inconsistently and contradict one another, so format must be judged from the physical book rather than from the ISBN in a listing

How Gollancz marked a first edition

• Classic British-house method: 'First published <year>' on the copyright/verso with NO later-printing or 'reprinted' statements; an unbroken impression line or absence of added impression dates confirms a first
• The distinctive plain YELLOW dust jacket with black + magenta typography (no pictorial art) is a strong era marker for firsts roughly 1920s–mid-1980s

Full Gollancz 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 UK 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?

The Gollancz UK 2006 edition precedes the first American edition from Pyr (Amherst, New York), September 2007 — which the Library of Congress catalogues as "1st American pbk. ed." (ISBN 1-59102-594-X), so the US first is a trade paperback, not a hardcover, and is a decidedly secondary collecting target. Independent confirmation of UK precedence: the title verso of the 2015 Orbit US edition states "First published in Great Britain in 2006 by Gollancz."

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented. "First thus" traps, and they are serious here: the Subterranean Press signed limited (2010, 500 numbered copies), the Gollancz Tenth Anniversary hardcover (2016, ISBN 9781473216785), and the 2022 Victor Gollancz signed reissue — a dealer describes that 2022 reissue as "1st Edition" with "numbers 1-10 present to confirm the first edition state," which demonstrates that a full number line by itself does not make a copy a 2006 first. Check the imprint date, not just the line.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Blade Itself a first edition?

A first edition of The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz) is identified by: True first is the Gollancz hardcover, London, published 4 May 2006.

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). The Gollancz UK 2006 edition precedes the first American edition from Pyr (Amherst, New York), September 2007 — which the Library of Congress catalogues as "1st American pbk. ed." (ISBN 1-59102-594-X), so the US first is a trade paperback, not a hardcover, and is a decidedly secondary collecting target.

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

No book-club issue is documented. "First thus" traps, and they are serious here: the Subterranean Press signed limited (2010, 500 numbered copies), the Gollancz Tenth Anniversary hardcover (2016, ISBN 9781473216785), and the 2022 Victor Gollancz signed reissue — a dealer describes that 2022 reissue as "1st Edition" with "numbers 1-10 present to confirm the first edition state," which demonstrates that a full number line by itself does not make a copy a 2006 first.

I have a first edition of The Blade Itself — 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.