Many publishers during the 1910s, 1920s & 1930s reprinted earlier 1st
editions by other publishers. At the forefront of reprint publishing
houses, both Grosset & Dunlap
and A.L. Burt established a regular practice of contracting with first
edition publishers to reissue their best selling popular fiction.
While the first editions of publishing
houses such as Harper & Bros., Lippincott, E.P. Dutton, Dodd, Mead and
Scribners would sell for $1.00 to $2.00 from the 1900s through the
1930s, the reprint editions issued by publishers such as Grosset &
Dunlap and A. L. Burt would sell for 40c to 75c during the same time
In order to achieve a reasonable profit
margin, some cost-cutting practices were common for the reprint
publishing houses -- these typically included:
Obtaining rights to reuse the original printing plates
(which eliminated expensive typesetting costs);
Reducing author royalties (from 15c to
30c per copy for first editions down to 2.5c to 5c per copy for
Using lower grade, more economic book
Using slightly thinner paper;
Reducing or removing illustrations;
Obtaining all remainder stock (extra
cloth bindings, extra pages, etc -- see Mixed Editions)
This cost-cutting factor alone significantly reduced printing costs, and was further
reduced by using more economic book bindings, thinner paper and often reducing or
removing illustrations to further minimize printing & binding expenses. In the end, this allowed
these reprint publishers to mass market these reprint editions often at
the 50c price level as compared to the $1.50 to $2.00 price range of the
higher grade, more fully illustrated 1st edition issues.
In fact, in most cases, since these reprint editions re-used the
original printing plates, the copyright pages were often left unchanged
leaving the previous publisher imprint and original copyright date.
For most of these reprint editions, the only distinction would be the
updating of the publisher imprint. This imprint change would most
commonly be found: (1)
at the base of the title page itself [often with the addition of the
phrase "by arrangement with" [noting the previous publisher]; (2)
at the base of the book spine; & (3)
at the base of the dustjacket spine.
Although online sellers are quick to claim
their books are first editions, it is important to be wary and keep in
mind the timeless and always important phrase, caveat emptor.
Here are some important tips to help buyers
and sellers alike in differentiating reprint editions from first
If the book has one of the publisher
imprints from the list below be very careful, it is most likely a
Most (but not all) of the books issued by Grosset & Dunlap and A. L Burt
(both of New York) were reprints -- the most notable exceptions include
juvenile series books; PhotoPlay (movie) editions; and StagePlay
The copyright date
is often not the publication date of a book.
Using the copyright page date
solely as a means of
identifying a 1st edition is a common, albeit BIG MISTAKE. Be
aware that the copyright date is only an
indicator of when the original copyright was secured, and is
NOT an indicator of
when a particular edition was PRINTED.
In most cases, the copyright date will NOT be useful in identifying a
book as a first edition, particularly with books prior to 1960.
Therefore, do not rely on the copyright to date a book.
Reprint editions often used the same
printing plates as the first editions.
Different publisher advertisements on
dustjackets and at end of book text.
Series Book Editions & Printings:
Although both Grosset & Dunlap and A.L Burt
are widely recognized as reprint publishers among knowledgeable
collectors, they did in fact produce some first editions. The most
notable exceptions are the ubiquitous childrens' series books which were
very popular as well as the movie tie-ins, commonly referred to as
photoplay editions among collectors.
With boys & girls series books, it is
important to keep in mind that new titles were added to such widely
popular series as the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Tom Swift -- usually on
an annual basis and sometimes more frequently. Therefore, once
again, the copyright date cannot be used to identify a first edition.
With series books, one must rely on the list
of titles found in the rear advertisements after the book text in
addition to the book titles listed on the rear panel and both end flaps
of the dustjacket. Common sense would dictate that a Hardy Boys or
Nancy Drew book copyrighted in 1930 would not be a first edition if, for
example, it listed a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew title which was
copyrighted in 1940. For example, The Hardy Boys - The Great
Airport Mystery (1930) could not possibly be a first edition if it
listed 19 titles up to The Disappearing Floor (1940) on the dustjacket
or in the rear advertisements. Similarly, an edition of Nancy Drew
The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) could not possibly be a first edition
if it listed 17 titles up to Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (1940) on
Despite the obvious, experienced collectors
find themselves pulling out their hair in frustration by the myriad of
misidentified first editions advertised online. Along with relying
solely upon the copyright date, the next most common error to be found
specifically in the case of series book misattributions is the usage of
the title listings at the front of the book [opposite the title page].
Ignoring the other telltale indicators noted above, sellers will point
out this list of "pre-text" titles as an indicator of a 1st edition.
Of course, it doesn't take an experienced bibliophile to realize that
these "pre-text" lists were NOT updated with later printings and, in
fact, were left unchanged making them of no value in identifying the
printing of a particular series book. Instead, particularly in the
absence of the original dustjacket, a more experienced seller should
rely on the title listings AFTER the book text as a much more reliable
indicator of when a series book was printed, as the "post text" lists
were updated regularly to advertise newly released titles from various
boys & girls series. By cross-referencing the copyright dates of
the latest titles from these various "post text" listings, buyers and
sellers alike can obtain a rather accurate approximation as to the year
that a particular book was actually printed.
PhotoPlay and StagePlay Editions:
Along with their leading position as the top
2 reprint publishers, both Grosset & Dunlap and A.L Burt
enjoyed the same lucrative standings in the categories of childrens' series books
photoplay & stageplay editions.
Once again, Grosset & Dunlap led the way in
this publishing sector -- first with StagePlay editions published in
connection with the on-stage production of their Broadway theatrical
counterparts, and a decade or so later with the PhotoPlay editions
published in connection with the on-screen production of their Hollywood
motion picture counterparts. In the case of StagePlay editions,
their peak occurred between 1900 and 1915, while the PhotoPlay editions
enjoyed their greatest popularity from the early 1920s to the late
1930s, at which time Old Time Radio broadcasts had gained their
ascendancy with many nationally broadcast shows across the airwaves.
Unfortunately, despite the apparently
obvious, experienced collectors once again face the torment of
misidentified first editions -- in this case with StagePlay and
PhotoPlay editions. One would think that even the less-initiated
novices would note the obvious, but apparently based on online sales
offerings that has been far from the case. Of course, common sense
would dictate that a PhotoPlay edition featuring movie stills taken from
a movie production of 1915, for example, could leave one to date the
book no earlier than the year the motion picture was filmed -- but
unfortunately results have shown that the obvious is not too apparent to
many fledgling online booksellers.
A noteworthy example would be Thomas Dixon's
"The Clansman" first published by Doubleday, Page & Co. in 1905 with
illustrations by Arthur Keller. Of course, based on the points
previously noted, not only one should one realize that
any book with a Wessels or Grosset & Dunlap imprint would be a REPRINT
of the Doubleday, Page 1st edition, but it should also be more than
apparent that any edition with movie stills from a 1915 motion picture
[titled "The Birth of a Nation"] could not possibly have been present in
a first edition which was printed a decade prior to that motion picture.
It is also important to consider
that many of the most popular PhotoPlay editions were reissued.
These PhotoPlay editions require a sharp eye and closer scrutiny to
distinguish which is truly the "first PhotoPlay edition". Among
the most notable of these were "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" [three
distinct printings identified]; "The Phantom of the Opera" [three
distinct printings identified] and "The Birth of a Nation" [two distinct
Using our prior example, "The Birth
of a Nation" premiered in Los Angeles on Feb 8, 1915 followed shortly by
the Grosset & Dunlap 1st photoplay edition [with white lettering on red
binding and 8 movie stills]. The film was later re-released in NYC
beginning on Dec 18, 1930, followed shortly by the re-release of the 2nd
Grosset & Dunlap photoplay edition [with black lettering on red binding
and 4 movie stills].
an AL Burt