In the simplest terms, a first edition is the first commercially distributed version of a book. For the purposes of modern collectible books, first edition is shorthand for the first printing of the first edition of a work. There isn’t any one profile of the collector.
To make matters more confusing, each time a new publisher releases an instance of the same title or a book is released in another format they may also describe their book as a first edition (for instance, the Penguin Classics first edition or the first paperback edition).
For publishers, “first edition” may just mean the first version of the text, without significant revisions. Many publishers will print the hardcover edition of a book and call that a first edition, then print the same text in paperback and call it a first edition as well.
A first printing is the first run of when a first edition of a book is published. While second and third printings are technically first editions as long as edits aren’t made, the first printing is considered the collectible first edition that collectors are looking for.
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what is a first edition book
