Is My Copy of The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini ćuprija) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Serbo-Croatian (Serbian, ekavian, Cyrillic) Na Drini ćuprija: roman, published in Belgrade in March 1945 by the newly founded state house Prosveta as the inaugural title in its series Južnoslovenski pisci (South Slavic Writers) — its status as Prosveta's very first book is itself a defining identification point
• The first printing ran roughly 5,000 copies and sold out by the end of that year; genuine first-issue copies carry the 1945 imprint and the Prosveta / Južnoslovenski pisci series designation on the title page and are wartime-quality austerity productions on poor paper
• Because a total of five Yugoslav editions appeared within about four years of 1945, the surest tells are the 1945 title-page date and the series-first imprint rather than any later reset text; the exact binding state (wrappers vs. cloth) of the earliest copies is not uniformly documented, so verify the title-page year and series line directly

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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 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 collectible true first is the 1945 Serbo-Croatian original: Na Drini ćuprija, Prosveta, Belgrade, March 1945 (written by Andrić in German-occupied Belgrade between July 1942 and December 1943). The first English translation, by Lovett F. Edwards, appeared in 1959: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. (London) published the first UK / first English-language edition (forest-green cloth, orange spine lettering), and The Macmillan Company (New York) issued the first American edition the same year. Dealers consistently treat the London Allen & Unwin printing as preceding the Macmillan release, but same-year US/UK precedence is not documented to the month, so confirm the imprint before asserting priority. Both English editions appeared two years before Andrić's 1961 Nobel Prize.P-012433

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No notable book-club edition drives confusion for the 1945 Serbo-Croatian first; the real traps are (1) mistaking one of the four later Yugoslav editions issued within ~four years of 1945 for the true first — check the title-page year, not just the Prosveta name; and (2) among English copies, later and much cheaper reissues, especially the University of Chicago Press paperback (Phoenix Fiction, William H. McNeill introduction) and modern Penguin/Vintage printings, which are frequently listed loosely as "first" but are not. For English first-edition purposes only the 1959 Allen & Unwin (UK) or 1959 Macmillan (US) printings qualify.P-012434

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini ćuprija) a first edition?

A first edition of The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini ćuprija) by Ivo Andrić (Prosveta) is identified by: The true first is the Serbo-Croatian (Serbian, ekavian, Cyrillic) Na Drini ćuprija: roman, published in Belgrade in March 1945 by the newly founded state house Prosveta as the inaugural title in its series Južnoslovenski pisci (South Slavic Writers) — its status as Prosveta's very first book is itself a defining identification point.

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. The collectible true first is the 1945 Serbo-Croatian original: Na Drini ćuprija, Prosveta, Belgrade, March 1945 (written by Andrić in German-occupied Belgrade between July 1942 and December 1943).

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

No notable book-club edition drives confusion for the 1945 Serbo-Croatian first; the real traps are (1) mistaking one of the four later Yugoslav editions issued within ~four years of 1945 for the true first — check the title-page year, not just the Prosveta name; and (2) among English copies, later and much cheaper reissues, especially the University of Chicago Press paperback (Phoenix Fiction, William H. McNeill introduction) and modern Penguin/Vintage printings, which are frequently listed loosely as "first" but are not.

I have a first edition of The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini ćuprija) — 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.