top of page

The FIRST EDITION...  

What and why? The First Edition of a book is a collectors holy grail due to its history, its rarity and of course they are the most valuable and sought after. Some books only had one printing, so you can spend $100,000's on a rare first edition. Below I have detailed my much loved books on Mountaineering (First ascents and early history of the 8000m peaks), Science, Science Fiction and Chess.

 

However, its a minefield to working out what a "true" first edition is, and it can be a real challenge....  no other piece of terminology has caused so much contention among booksellers and collectors as that of first edition. In publishing terms, an edition is technically all copies of a book that were printed from the same setting of type and the book is only described as a second edition if substantial changes are made to the copy. However, in collecting terms, a very rough description of first edition would be when it is the first appearance of a work.  If the initial print run of this first edition sells out and the publisher decides to produce a subsequent printing with the same typeset the book would be described as a first edition, second printing. 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). There is also the massive difference between the origin country and others. The First UK Edition published 10 minutes before the first US Edition (for a UK author) is considered the true First Edition.

 

The condition of the book is a huge factor in its value, as well as the presence and condition of the dustcover. 

 

The most important thing of all to any collection is the subject matter... you gotta love the subject matter.  

You can scroll through the images below ... hover mouse near the left or right end...  

Science, Chess & Science Fiction..

The Chess Players Handbook  by  Howard Staunton  published by  George Bell & Sons London 1900    reprint of 1847 classic

The Clock We Live On  by  Isaac Asimov  published by  Abelard Schuman New York 1959    first edition

Nineteen Eighty-Four  by  George Orwell  published by  Harcourt Brace New York 1947    first edition (Book of the Month Club edition)

Interplanetary Flight  by  Arthur C. Clarke  published by  Temple Press London 1950    first edition

2001 A Space Odyssey by  Arthur C. Clarke  published by  New American Library New York 1968    first edition

 

Early Everest..

Mount Everest The Reconnaissance 1921  by  C K Howard-Bury  published by  Edward Arnold London  1922  first edition

The Assault on Mount Everest 1922  by  C G Bruce  published by  Edward Arnold London  1923  first edition

The Fight for Everest 1924  by  E F Norton  published by  Edward Arnold London  1925  first edition

Everest 1933  by  Hugh Ruttledge  published by  Hodder & Stoughton London 1934    first edition

Everest: The Unfinished Adventure  by  Hugh Ruttledge  published by  Hodder & Stoughton London 1937    first edition

Mount Everest 1938  by  H. W. Tilman  published by  Cambridge University Press London 1948    first edition

I'll Climb Mount Everest Alone  by  Dennis Roberts  published by  Robert Hale London 1957    first edition

Man of Everest  by  James Ramsey Ullman  published by  George G. Harrap  London 1955    first edition

 

First Ascents of the 8000m peaks..

Mount Everest first summitted 25 May 1953:          The Ascent of Everest  published1953    first edition

 

K2 first summited 31 July 1954:                                  Acent of K2  published 1955    first english edition

           

Kangchenjunga first summited 25 May 1955:          Kangchenjunga. The Untrodden Peak  published 1956    first edition

 

Lhotse first summitted 18 May 1956:                        The Everest-Lhotse Adventure  published 1957    first edition                                                

 

Makal first summitted 15 May 1955:                         Makalu A Team Triumphant  published 1957    first edition                                                                  

     

Cho Oyu first summitted 19 Oct 1954:                      Cho Oyu. By Favour of the Gods  published 1957    first edition

                                                                        

Djaulagiri  first summitted 13 May 1960:                  The Ascent of Dhaulagiri  published 1961    first edition

             

Nanga Parbat first summitted 3 July 1953:               Nanga Parbat  published 1954    first edition                          

   

Annapurna I  first summitted 3 June 1950:               Annapurna. Conquest of the First 8,000m Peak  published 1952    first edition

 

Gasherbrum I  first summitted 5 July 1958:              A Walk in the Sky. Climbing Hidden Peak  published 1982     first edition

 

Broad Peak first summitted 9 June 1957:                  Broad Peak  published 2004    first edition    

      

Gasherbrum II  first summitted :7 July 1956             No account published     

         

Shishapangma first summitted 2 May 1964:            No English translation

 

Manaslu first summitted 9 May 1956:                       No English translation

 

Other Everest..   first editions of course !

Five members of the first sucessful Mount Everest expedition 

published other books recounting their experiences including:

South Col by Wilfred Noyce

High Adventure by Edmund Hillary

Our Everest Adventure by John Hunt

Eye on Everest by Charles Evans

The Picture of Everest by Alfred Gregory

 

 

 

 

bottom of page