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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 22, 2018 at 5:04pm

 It’s my understanding that different publishers display it differently, but generally speaking the lowest number is the edition number.  Hopefully someone with book collecting experience could chime in with a definitive response. 

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Permalink Reply by RDDB on May 23, 2018 at 10:05am

So it may not matter if the numbers are in reverse order? As long as there's a "1" in the list?

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Permalink Reply by James on May 25, 2018 at 2:09am

I think what Steve says is correct.  What you describe is a first edition...I believe.  Also, it is true that different publishers may use a different method of describing a first edition, and in some cases, it will actually have printed “First Edition.”

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Permalink Reply by Mike White on May 31, 2018 at 8:38pm

"Usually you can tell if a book is a 1st edition or not by the numbers across the bottom of a copyright page."

That is not accurate.

Those numbers indicate printing, not edition.

You can have a "First Thus" with a full number line that's not a true "First Edition", just as you can have a First Edition, 28th printing. The number line also may well reset with future editions of the same format.

The way to know a First Edition is if it's stated (though some publishers don't remove that wording when they print later editions, so it's not foolproof) or implied by the cover, binding, copyright date & by checking for changes within the text itself, as a change in edition will change something--otherwise it'd just be another printing of the previous edition.

Most serious book collectors want a "First/First"--which is a first edition, first printing (aka a first edition with a full number line).

What constitutes a full number line varies by publisher, but in most cases today, it's numbered to 1. Some go backwards, some go forwards, and some separate the even and odd numbers for reasons I don't especially understanding, but it's generally a first printing if it's numbered to 1. Again, though, that has nothing to do with edition. Edition is completely different than printing.

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