Is My Copy of Two Plays (The Shadow of a Gunman; Juno and the Paycock) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London, 1925 — O'Casey's first book and the first book appearance of both plays
• Bound in blue/blue-green paper-covered boards with a light-brown cloth/linen backstrip and printed paper title labels (title within a paper frame on the upper cover and spine), edges untrimmed, roughly v + 199 pp — the same board-and-label format as the 1926 Plough and the Stars
• TRAP: copies dated 1927 (and later) that carry a frontispiece portrait of O'Casey by Augustus John are a later Macmillan reissue, NOT the 1925 first — the printed 1927 title-page date is the tell and the John portrait is absent from the true first
• Note that Macmillan produced more than one 1925 printing in this same binding style, and the sources consulted do NOT isolate a clean point separating a first-1925 from a second-1925 printing, so binding alone should not be relied on to prove first printing within 1925

How Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London marked a first edition

• UK Macmillan, mid-1920s onward: London Macmillan states 'First published (Year)' on the copyright/verso page of a first edition, with later printings adding 'Reprinted (Year)' lines beneath. A first shows the…

Full Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London 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?

London Macmillan and Co., Ltd. 1925 is the true first; the US issue (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1925) is the first American and follows the London edition. Written in English, no translation involved. London first; New York follows.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Macmillan printings — including 1927-dated copies with the Augustus John frontispiece portrait — are reissues, not the first. No dedicated book-club edition documented.P-045281

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Two Plays (The Shadow of a Gunman; Juno and the Paycock) a first edition?

A first edition of Two Plays (The Shadow of a Gunman; Juno and the Paycock) by Sean O'Casey (Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London) is identified by: True first: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London, 1925 — O'Casey's first book and the first book appearance of both plays.

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. London Macmillan and Co., Ltd. 1925 is the true first; the US issue (The Macmillan Company, New York, 1925) is the first American and follows the London edition.

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

Later Macmillan printings — including 1927-dated copies with the Augustus John frontispiece portrait — are reissues, not the first. No dedicated book-club edition documented.

I have a first edition of Two Plays (The Shadow of a Gunman; Juno and the Paycock) — 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.