The Official Terry Pratchett Forums

by **Nicky** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:03 pm

Hi can anybody tell me how to tell if my hardbacks are first editions as I have had some of them for some time but don't know how to tell

by **Tonyblack** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:23 pm

Hi Nicky. That's not as simple a question as it might seem and different publishing houses have different ways of showing what is a first edition. Terry's books have differences in them as well.

As far as the newer books are concerned, you need to go a couple of pages into the book to the page with the details of publisher etc. and look for a row of numbers that look like this: 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

If the first mumber is a '1' then you have a first edition. Hope that helps.

Welcome to the site.

by **Tonyblack** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:26 pm

Our resident expert on Pratchett books is Discworldaholic. He started this thread for just such questions.

by **Nicky** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:38 pm

Thanks for your help so I've just had a look and the oldest ones I've got don't have those types of numbers but Night Watch does at the bottom of the page 13579108642 so that would make it a first then - i'llcheck out the thread you recommended

by **Tonyblack** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:10 pm

I was looking at my old editions and really couldn't tell which of them were first. Obviously not the ones that said Second printing in such-and-such a year

Watch out for BCA editions. These were editions for sale from a book club by mail order and don't count as first editions.

by **chris.ph** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:20 pm

welcome to the site nicky :lol:

im going to check my books

by **Who's Wee Dug** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:24 am

The Numbers also run 0123456789 with zero being the 1st printing, or if there is no code just the date of printing and the ISBN NUMBER it's a first.

there was a change in Hogfather Gollancz published in 1996,it had 96 97 98 54321 just to futher confuse things. :roll:

by **chris.ph** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:26 pm

reaper mans my earliest first edition wots everybody elses . a curly wurly for the earliest :lol:

by **The_Discworldaholic** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:39 pm

I think mine are from 1965 New SF 156 and another i cant remember the name at the moment

by **chris.ph** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:16 pm

terry pratchett ones

by **chris.ph** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:17 pm

meant to add are they short stories

by **The_Discworldaholic** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:48 am

yep they are shorts so if its a stand alone novel then the earliest i have is The Carpet People which if my memory serves me right is 1971

by **mspanners** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:33 am

I think I can recall seeing Terry on TV doing an interview when the carpet people first came out, not sure if it was on the Local HTV or BBC news or on Blue Peter..... but I remember thinking what an imagination ! Sorry a bit off topic though.

by **chris.ph** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:22 pm

i think dwaholic has won this on the first entry , youll have to come to hendy to pick up your curly wurly :lol:

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