HOW TO TELL FIRST EDITIONS
When the date of the publication is not in brackets, it means that the same will be found on title page. When, however, it is in brackets, thus, (1931), it indicates that said date is printed either on the reverse side of title page, or in some other part of the book. Or, possibly, the date does not appear at all, in which case the brackets are merely authoritative information supplied by the bibliographer. Furthermore, our endeavor has been to list only authors and books for which there is a reasonably active present-day demand, and which have a speculative future.
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT (1832-1888)
LITTLE WOMEN. 2 vols. First volume has no announcement for “Little Women, Part Two” at foot of last page of text, nor has it “Part One” on the backstrip; Second volume has the notice regarding “Little Women: Part One” at page IV. Usually bound in green or red cloth, but other colors show up occasionally. Boston, 1868-1869.
THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH (1836-1907)
THE STORY OF BAD BOY. Generally regarded as the story of his own boyhood. Has “scattered” for “scatter” on page 14, line 20, and “abroad” for “Aboard” on page 197, line 10. Green cloth binding. Boston, 1870.
HERVEY ALLEN (1889- )
ANTHONY ADVERSE, New York, 1933. 105 copies de luxe edition, 3 vols. signed. Trade edition is in one volume, with publisher’s monogram on copyright page. On page 352, line 6, Xaxier for Xavier. On page 397, line 22, the word found is repeated. On page 1086, line 18, ship for shop.
SHERWOOD ANDERSON (1876- )
WINESBURG, OHIO. New York, 1919. First printing said to have both unstained and orange stained tops.
T. S. ARTHUR (1809-1885)
TEN NIGHTS IN A BAR ROOM. Philadelphia, 1854. This holds priority over an edition the same year published in Boston.
IRVING BACHELLER (1859- )
EBEN HOLDEN. There is a pine-cone design on backstrip with rounded top. In later editions, a flat top was substituted. Boston (1900).
RAY STANNARD BAKER (1870- )
ADVENTURES IN CONTENTMENT. By David Grayson (pseudonym). New York, 1907. Green pictorial cloth, about 1-3/16 inches thick. Illustration on page 110, shows cows grazing. Second state is bound in dark green, olive cloth, without illustration on page 110, of man plowing.
JOHN KENDRICK BANGS
(1862-1922)
A HOUSE-BOAT ON THE STYX. New York, 1896.
EDWARD BELLAMY
(1850-1898)
LOOKING BACKWARD, 2000-1887. Comes in gray, green, yellowish and perhaps other colors of cloth; also in paper wrappers. Cloth-bound copies hold priority. They are said to have been issued in the Spring, whereas those in wrappers didn’t appear until Fall. The first state has printer’s imprint on copyright page. Boston, 1888.
AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914?)
THE FIEND’S DELIGHT. By Dod Grile (pseudonym). London (1872). Vignette on title page. Red-brown pictorial cloth. American edition, 1873, had no publisher’s advertisements at back.
NUGGETS AND DUST. By Dod Grile (pseudonym). London (1872) First edition of author’s first book. Original yellow pictorial wrappers. Should have half-title, with two pages of advertisements preceding the half-title, and ten pages of advertisements at the end.
THE DANCE OF DEATH. By William Herman (pseudonym). San Francisco (1877) First state has on its title page, in addition to title and author, the words “Author’s copy”. Has no press notices at back of book. Second state has imprint of Henry Keller & Co., 543 Clay St., 1877. THE DANCE OF LIFE by Mrs. Dr. J. Milton Bowers, and purporting to be an answer, is sometimes considered as a companion piece.
TALES OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS. Issued in green cloth and probably also other colors. White end-papers. E. L. G. Steele, San Francisco, 1891.
BLACK BEETLES IN AMBER. Has imprint of Western Authors Publishing Co. Cloth and wrappers. San Francisco and New York, 1892.
(To be continued)
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