Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions (Paperback)

by Bill McBride (Compiler)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McBride; 6th edition (January 1, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0930313062
• ISBN-13: 978-0930313067
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 3.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Editions Guide, May 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions (Paperback)

This book is a very necessary and handy reference for any book collector, whether novice or expert. A particular advantage to this book is the compact format for information on a wide variety of publishers.

Other books will have information about current or expected values (such as the Ahearn books, but before you get to the value determination, you will need to know whether or not you have a true first edition. That is the entire focus of this book. And, this is a true "pocket" guide in that it is compact, yet well cross-referenced. About the size of a daytimer calander.

I carry this with me on many business trips where I use it at used and rare bookshops around the country. It is comprehensive in the information, but not bulky or awkward to carry.

The first section contains information about general edition identification circumstances which will clear up a lot of confusion as to whether you have a book club edition, a second printing, or a true first - although it does not list any specifics about a particular book and the points identifying a first of the specific book. The next section is an alphabetical listing of publishers with a key to the listings (abbreviations) located in a handy spot inside the back cover.

I highly recommend this book as a "portable" resource for your book hunting trips.

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Searching For That Elusive First Printing, July 23, 2001

By	Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I owe quite a lot to Bill McBride and his A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions. When I started collecting books in earnest over a decade ago, I knew very little about first editions [more correctly 'first printings']. My first education in 'firsts' came from a 3rd Edition of this handy little book. I always carry it [now the 6th Revised Edition] when I'm doing the used bookstores somewhere [the urban counterpart to the rock collecting I do in the outback] and many times Mr. McBride's little book has saved me from buying a book misidentified as a 'first' and has helped me find a few bargains when a long sought 'first' was not identified as such. Before you challenge the used bookstore circuit [my favorites are in San Francisco, Berkeley, and the Los Angeles/Orange County area] or, braver yet, the yard sale/estate sale/swap meet/Goodwill circuit, make sure you have a copy of Mr. McBride's little book in your hip pocket.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, for beginners, July 31, 2004

By	Ian Mccullough "bookninja" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this after about 5 years as a bookdealer thinking it might help me out on the road. It did not. Most of first edition identification is common sense, and I just didn't find this booklet very useful. It is concise and accurate and comprehensive, so no taking away from the other reviewers. If you have never worked in the used book business, this would be a very good book. But if you are very serious, consider the Zemple guide from Spoon River Press.