Is My Copy of The Snowman a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: London, Hamish Hamilton, 1978
• Issued WITHOUT a dust wrapper, in the publisher's glazed pictorial paper-covered boards — dealers and auction records independently describe first editions as 'without dust wrapper, as issued', so a jacket is not a point of issue here and its absence is not a defect
• Royal octavo/small folio, wordless throughout, illustrated in coloured pencil, 32pp
• Hamish Hamilton firsts of this period state 'First published (Year)' or 'First published in Great Britain in (Year)' on the copyright page and note subsequent printings; the house added a number row only in 1988, so no number line should be present
• The test is the first-publication line together with the absence of any impression statement

How Hamish Hamilton marked a first edition

• First editions state "First published in Great Britain [Year]" or "First published [Year]" on the copyright page; later printings noted
• First printing = statement present with no list of later impressions

Full Hamish Hamilton 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?

UK Hamish Hamilton (London), 1978 is the originating edition and the collected true first; it was runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal. The first American edition is Random House, New York, published November 1978 — the same year — likewise in publisher's illustrated boards; first printings are reported to state 'First American Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line, and one dealer additionally cites a 0307 code on the jacket. Both are collected, but the Random House is the first American edition, not the true first. No source consulted supplies a month for the Hamish Hamilton, so UK priority rests on its being the originating publisher rather than on a documented month-by-month comparison.P-044197

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. Because the Hamish Hamilton first was issued without a jacket, the usual jacket tests do not apply — identify from the copyright page alone. The title has been reprinted continuously since 1978 in the same pictorial boards, so later Hamish Hamilton impressions are near-identical externally and the added impression statement is the only reliable tell. Puffin paperbacks, printings tied to the 1982 animated adaptation, and later Random House/Penguin reissues are 'first thus' only.P-044198

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Snowman a first edition?

A first edition of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (Hamish Hamilton) is identified by: First edition, first impression: London, Hamish Hamilton, 1978.

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). UK Hamish Hamilton (London), 1978 is the originating edition and the collected true first; it was runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

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

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. Because the Hamish Hamilton first was issued without a jacket, the usual jacket tests do not apply — identify from the copyright page alone. The title has been reprinted continuously since 1978 in the same pictorial boards, so later Hamish Hamilton impressions are near-identical externally and the added impression statement is the only reliable tell.

I have a first edition of The Snowman — 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.