What is a "first edition"? - Democratic Underground

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:28 PM
Original message

What is a "first edition"?

I had a little misunderstanding with a bookstore. They advertised a book as being a first edition. I bought it and found that it was a reprint by a different publisher. When I complained, they said the book was the "first edition, first printing by THAT PARTICULAR PUBLISHER".

Is their interpretation reasonable, or are they guilty of false advertising?

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

old mark

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:34 PM
Response to Original message

1. It should have been listed as a "first thus", first edition of its kind, but

Edited on Mon Jun-22-09 06:35 PM by old mark

not a first edition of the book. There are also first US editions, etc, but they should tell you the particulars - every one has a different value. They were wrong, but they may just have been ignorant - there are a lot of people who think they know what they do not.
A reprint is NOT a first edition - they should have listed the publisher.
I would not deal with them again, try to get a refund if you return the book.

Good luck.

mark

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:49 PM
Response to Reply #1

3. Thanks - that's what I thought.

The ad looked too good to be true, and sure enough ....

The book I bought is actually worth about what I paid for it. It would have been a steal if it had really been a first edition.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

PeaceNikki

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:39 PM
Response to Original message

2. Explained here. They're right.

http://www.booklibris.com/BLFirstEditionID.htm

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 07:06 PM
Response to Reply #2

6. Thanks for the link.

I read it, but I don't see how it lets the bookstore off the hook.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

PeaceNikki

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 08:02 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. What "hook"? If you'd have known what to look for, it would have been clear

http://www.booklibris.com/BLFirstEditionID.htm

Reprints

From the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s books by popular authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens were often reprinted by the boat load. Grosset & Dunlap published mountains of reprints in the early 1900s. Some other publishers that printed reprints are A.L. Burt, Cupples & Goldsmith, Sun Dial, Saalfield, and Triangle.

What to look for: Compare the publisher printed on the Title Page and to the publisher listed on the Copyright Page - if the book lists two different publishers, the book is probably a reprint. For example: a reprinted copy of Edgar Rice Burroughs "The Beasts of Tarzan" states "Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers" on the Title Page, but states "Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co, 1916" on the the Copyright Page.

It was a first edition by that publisher and printed plain as day for you to see that it wasn't the original publisher.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 08:49 PM
Response to Reply #8

9. I bought the book on the internet.

I couldn't look at the title page etc. until the book was delivered.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

PeaceNikki

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jun-23-09 06:35 AM
Response to Reply #9

10. Well now you can consider yourself educated on what questions to ask

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Euromutt

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jun-23-09 06:52 AM
Response to Reply #8

11. Sorry, I still don't see it

The page you linked makes a clear a distinction between a "first edition (first printing)" and a "reprint," the former being by the original publisher, that latter by someone else. Thus, to describe a reprint as being a "first edition" is misleading at best (even if it is the first edition of the reprint," since the term "first edition" is implicitly assumed to mean "first edition, first printing, from the original publisher."

Note that the question here is not whether Lionel has a first edition, since we know it's not; the question is whether the book store could fairly describe it as such. I'm much inclined to say they could not.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Jun-23-09 11:07 AM
Response to Reply #11

12. You are absolutely right.

According to this web page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_edition

"The first edition of a facsimile reprint is the reprint publisher's first edition, but not the first edition of the work itself."

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Tangerine LaBamba

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:52 PM
Response to Original message

4. You had to know

the original publisher.

But, legitimately, yeah, what you got was a first edition from a different publisher.

They told the truth, but you have to know exactly what you're looking for.

Once again, if it sounds too good to be true, it is, and you thought you got a steal, but you didn't.

What a drag, but they're on the level....................

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Lionel Mandrake

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 07:29 PM
Response to Reply #4

7. Actually, I did know the original publisher.

I wish I had kept a copy of the advertisement for the book. I don't think it mentioned the publisher, but I'm not sure about this.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

bigwillq

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Jun-22-09 06:53 PM
Response to Original message

5. The one before the second one (nt)

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Fri May 03rd 2024, 06:24 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.