Edited to add a point to the end concerning the Hardy Boys paperbacks.

A book is not a first printing due to lack of statement of printing. Many people make this mistake and list books as first printings when they are far from first printings. It is one of the biggest problems that book buyers face when sellers think their books are first printings due to no statement.

Generally speaking, most of the series book paperbacks like the Hardy Boys do state which printing on the copyright page, but it is likely not in words. The books have a number line, and the number line begins or ends with the number of the printing. For instance, 1234567890 is the first printing. [phone number removed] is the second printing. Sometimes the numbers are in reverse so the last digit indicates the printing.

Some old books have the year printed on the copyright page, so it is possible to tell how old the book is.

Hardcover series books published by Grosset and Dunlap rarely state the year on the copyright page, so most sellers think that most examples are the first printing when the book is nowhere near a first printing. For Grosset and Dunlap series books, find the last title listed somewhere on a list NOT on the copyright page. Look up the year published for the last title, and you know how old the book is. Never use the list on the copyright page because it was never updated.

The Hardy Boys paperbacks are NOT reprints of the hardcover editions. The paperback editions are completely different titles from the hardcover with dust jacket editions. The paperback books DO have first printings. To state that none of them can be first printings is incorrect information. Notice what I sell. I am an expert on these types of books.

Grosset and Dunlap published the original hardcover Hardy Boys books. The same is true for the Nancy Drew series. The hardcover editions have never been published in paperback form. The paperback titles were a continuation of the hardcover series but were different, new titles published by Simon and Schuster. The Simon and Schuster titles have first printings and have the number lines as I originally stated.

The original hardcover Hardy Boys series consists of #1-58 and was published by Grosset and Dunlap. The first softcover series by Simon and Schuster consists of #59-190, which are obviously different titles since they have different numbers. The second softcover series is the Hardy Boys Casefiles, which is a completely different series with different titles. Next, the Hardy Boys Clues Brothers is another softcover series aimed at younger children. Finally, after the Clues Brothers went out of print, another series was launched for young children called the Undercover Brothers.

Nancy Drew books follow the same pattern with the books and different series. All hardcover and softcover Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books have first printings.

Here are a couple of starting points

[URL removed]
[URL removed]
and one of my favorites, just to get an idea of what Markings a True First Edition May Need, and how many of them are out there,
[URL removed]

As Both of the answers above State, Determining a True First Edition can be Real Hard, Especially with Older Books. It can take a lifetime to learn; Before the Sixties Rules were different with most Publishers Making Their Own. And don’t forget Google Searching; Just remember a Search will pull up everything from Looney Tune to Scholarly; Verify as many times as you can and from multiple sources. Good Luck and Good Searching
This is Where the Fun Starts

Hi
the few books I sold that were first editions said they were first editions.

But I’m no expert.
I usually go to the bay at the book sellers board when I have book questions as it is not my area and they have been
very helpful to me.

Good Luck

This answer applies to “all types of books” in [URL removed] The big problem with identifying first editions is that there is no industry standard. Different publishers will mark a first edition in different [URL removed] a “first edition” or “first printing” statement, a special mark of some kind, a complete number line, a date on the copyright page that matches the date on the title page, etc. They also may change practices over time. Since there is no standard, a guide like McBride’s Guide to First Editions ([URL removed] is invaluable. Also take a look at the First Edition points website ([URL removed] to see more on how complex identification can be.

Some issues that further complicate the question of “first edition” are whether the book has multiple printings, states, and issues; and if hardcover in a DJ, the dustjacket may also have multiple states. Then there is the “follow the flag” standard – where the first edition from the author’s home country is considered the true first by some. Some books were printed first in softcover; and there are rare instances where a book club edition is actually the first. Some publishers specialized in reprints that look like firsts (as noted above) because they did not identify previous editions.

I’ve posted a longer explanation of first edition terms [URL removed] [URL removed]

One last thing – be cautious about using online books-for-sale listings as a guide to determining the edition status of a book. Some people do know what they are doing, but many list books as firsts when they are not.

The first printing of the Hardy Boys were in Hard Back with Dust Covers.

So there is no way any paper back Hardy Boys will ever be a first edition / printing.

Do your research first, ask questions, and like the others state, there is no industry standard to rely on regarding identifying them.

Besides the books mentioned, there are several “speciality” books that specifically address Hardy Boys (Hardy Boys Investigator) costs a lot – I think we paid $100 about 4 years ago and Fahar’s Guide for Nancy Drew books.

There are two less expensive and less “intense” books by John Axe – Guide to Collecting Boys Series Book and Guide to Collecting Girls’ Series Books – I like these because of the good clear pictures and also it’s very easy to follow their explanation of what’s first, or now in editions.

Great news to read and learn…thanks!

thebgs [URL removed] “For instance, 1234567890 is the first printing. [phone number removed] is the second printing. Sometimes the numbers are in reverse so the last digit indicates the printing.”

This is absolutely true…except if the book is published by Random House. Their first edition number line starts with 2. Heaven only knows why :)

Places to reference books [URL removed]
Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon, Resource Books LLC

There are a lot of good works and when I read, I try to get to the truth so I know exactly what kind of work it is, what it’s about, to analyze the characters so I know exactly what their motives were for doing certain things. So I hope it will be helpful if I suggest that you definitely look and familiarize yourself with the character from here [URL removed] . Read it by all means, I hope I can help someone else sort it out. I have even written my own essays on these parsings.