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atlantismerman OP t1_istq8du wrote

Reply to comment by CDNChaoZ in How do you determine if a book is a true first edition? by atlantismerman

So like if a book was first published in 1940s or something, it would be kinda impossible to determine its first edition?

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CDNChaoZ t1_istvcjt wrote

Well, there's first edition, then there's first printing of the first edition. You can generally determine if a book is a first edition by matching the publication year and publisher (found online) to the publication year marked in the book. Determining the printing could be tougher for older books. Sometimes you need to know specific things, like typos in the dust jacket, colour of the end boards etc.

It really depends on the publisher. Some are more detailed than others. Tracking of printings was not common before the middle of the 20th century. Then the Printer's Key or Number Line became popular and made things easier.

So you need to know when the book was first published, where it was first published, by whom it was first published, even before looking at the book itself to determine what printing it is.

Luckily having the internet as a resource really helps.

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atlantismerman OP t1_isu7ag2 wrote

Oh thanks a lot, that was very informative, I have one more question, Do different publishers in different countries write first edition in their respective prints?

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atlantismerman OP t1_isu7vjd wrote

Also, one of my books has printers key going like 51 53 55 57 58 60 58 56 54 52, so this would mean its the 51st print of the edition?

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CDNChaoZ t1_isu960c wrote

While the numbers line tends to indicate printings, I think it's also been used to indicate year. It could mean 1951.

If it's a really popular book, then it's most likely the print run number.

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atlantismerman OP t1_isu9ee6 wrote

Its definitely the print run then, this was first published in 1996

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