Do I have a 1st edition?
In short, probably not. So many people look at the copyright page, see only 1 copyright date, and think, "WOW! I have a 1st edition!". Sorry, but more than likely you do not.
You see, a first edition of a book has *nothing* to do with the copyright date. The copyright date refers to the *text*, NOT to the printing. For example, I could have a book printed yesterday, which bears a copyright date of 1976. If the text has not changed, a publisher does not necessarily have to update the copyright date until the copyright is about to expire, or if a new publisher has purchased the rights to the book outright (this is seen with many Saalfield children's series books in the 1930's, after they purchased the rights to print several series from A. L. Burt, after it went out of business).
Grosset & Dunlap and Whitman also did not state in ANY way on the copyright page if a book was a 1st edition. Different publishers have different ways of dealing with 1st editions--some mention it, some don't. And there are different ways of noting it, as well, other then just "First Edition" (which unfortunately even then doesn't always mean it's a 1st edition).
The copyright page of a G&D book will NEVER tell you in any way if the book is a 1st edition. Not even taking into account the book lists sometimes included there, as these lists were rarely updated (on the copyright page). The one interesting note to this is that there ARE some G&D printings from the 1980s that do state the year in which the book was printed. I believe some 1970s printings may also have this. But I am not aware of any of them stating "First Edition"--only a year of printing.
Most Whitman books are virtually impossible to date to a printing, because rarely did anything change about the individual printings, due to many of Whitman's books being reprints (one notable exception being the Trixie Belden series).
Deciphering a G&D 1st edition requires research. And even then, you may only be able to say that the book is a "1st year printing". To decipher this, there are several things to look for.
One great sign, is if the book has a dated inscription. This is not common though.
The most common way requires one to research ALL book lists present. If the book was released with a dust jacket originally, you may need the dust jacket for the most accurate dating.
When I say "book list", I am referring to ALL lists of series books included on both the dust jacket as well as in the front or rear of the book. The amount of book lists decreases significantly over the years, especially after the introduction of the Picture Cover book by G&D from 1961-1963.
It is necessary to look at the LAST title in each list, and find out its copyright date. For example, if you have a copy of The Bobbsey Twins at School, and it lists to a book that was printed in 1927, you CANNOT have a 1st edition, because the 1st edition was printed in 1913. The reason you have to look at all the book lists is because you may have different dates for different series. You have to look at them all, and find the most recent date out of them all--that will usually give you the year the book was printed.
This is why without extensive research, you will probably only be able to say "Probable/possible 1st edition" or "1st year printing". Differentiating between printings within the same year requires having multitudes of copies of books at your disposal. For an example of well-done research, check out Farah's Guide for the Nancy Drew series. His guide is comprehensive, and involves research he has been doing for about 30 years. Thousands of printings represented. There is no such research on The Bobbsey Twins at this time, and probably never will be, due to lack of interest.
You see, a first edition of a book has *nothing* to do with the copyright date. The copyright date refers to the *text*, NOT to the printing. For example, I could have a book printed yesterday, which bears a copyright date of 1976. If the text has not changed, a publisher does not necessarily have to update the copyright date until the copyright is about to expire, or if a new publisher has purchased the rights to the book outright (this is seen with many Saalfield children's series books in the 1930's, after they purchased the rights to print several series from A. L. Burt, after it went out of business).
Grosset & Dunlap and Whitman also did not state in ANY way on the copyright page if a book was a 1st edition. Different publishers have different ways of dealing with 1st editions--some mention it, some don't. And there are different ways of noting it, as well, other then just "First Edition" (which unfortunately even then doesn't always mean it's a 1st edition).
The copyright page of a G&D book will NEVER tell you in any way if the book is a 1st edition. Not even taking into account the book lists sometimes included there, as these lists were rarely updated (on the copyright page). The one interesting note to this is that there ARE some G&D printings from the 1980s that do state the year in which the book was printed. I believe some 1970s printings may also have this. But I am not aware of any of them stating "First Edition"--only a year of printing.
Most Whitman books are virtually impossible to date to a printing, because rarely did anything change about the individual printings, due to many of Whitman's books being reprints (one notable exception being the Trixie Belden series).
Deciphering a G&D 1st edition requires research. And even then, you may only be able to say that the book is a "1st year printing". To decipher this, there are several things to look for.
One great sign, is if the book has a dated inscription. This is not common though.
The most common way requires one to research ALL book lists present. If the book was released with a dust jacket originally, you may need the dust jacket for the most accurate dating.
When I say "book list", I am referring to ALL lists of series books included on both the dust jacket as well as in the front or rear of the book. The amount of book lists decreases significantly over the years, especially after the introduction of the Picture Cover book by G&D from 1961-1963.
It is necessary to look at the LAST title in each list, and find out its copyright date. For example, if you have a copy of The Bobbsey Twins at School, and it lists to a book that was printed in 1927, you CANNOT have a 1st edition, because the 1st edition was printed in 1913. The reason you have to look at all the book lists is because you may have different dates for different series. You have to look at them all, and find the most recent date out of them all--that will usually give you the year the book was printed.
This is why without extensive research, you will probably only be able to say "Probable/possible 1st edition" or "1st year printing". Differentiating between printings within the same year requires having multitudes of copies of books at your disposal. For an example of well-done research, check out Farah's Guide for the Nancy Drew series. His guide is comprehensive, and involves research he has been doing for about 30 years. Thousands of printings represented. There is no such research on The Bobbsey Twins at this time, and probably never will be, due to lack of interest.
