Search Results: False Firsts and Other Unusual Examples from Brass DolphinBooks

NY: Knopf, 1995. Book Club (BCE/BOMC) . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good+. Perhaps a bit better hard cover book and jacket than the grade might seem to say, approaching Near Fine, unmarked, straight, the odd microscopic flaw but newish. Believe is not a publishers edition, says "2nd printing before publication" but jacket is unpriced which seems damning. in any case, not cheaply made in the book club manner (not lacking hinging cordage- no debossing mark) will cross catalog as false first/religion. *We feel that books offered for internet sale should be described thoroughly and accurately. Books listed by Brass Dolphin are so described, and graded, using the strict, traditional standards. For this reason, we have virtually zero returns.*

NY: Knopf, 1953. BCE/BOMC . Hardcover. Fair+/Fair+. We recently started a 'false first' catalog to give examples of book edition identification issues, they are over priced to discourage sales and save me looking for other examples, but are for sale. This one is an honest, unpriced dust jacket book club that DOES NOT call itself a publisher's edition, but does answer an often asked question abot Knopf/Borzoi. The question I have sometimes been asked is this: There is the Borzoi Logo stamped on the back boards lower corner at spine. Is this a book club type debossing mark? Answer, No. It is a publishers mark and indicates nothing. This copy nails this down beautifully, as there is an extremely small round debossing at the extreme corner of this book club edition. It is near pin head size. Of course the round debossing marks can approach pencil eraser size and the square ones tend to be @ 1/8th inch across. *We feel that books offered for internet sale should be described thoroughly and… Read More

Boston: Little, Brown, 2004. Later Printing . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good+. A clean, solid unmarked copy, nice marbled boards, approaches Near Fine shape, jacket similar, no tears, bit of edge wear in new mylar wrapper. A brief policy statement. This book has a remainder mark upper text edge. We never describe remaindered books as "NEW" or grade them "As New." They are not. Additionally L.B. leaves it's "First Edition" statement in place while pulling numbers from it's number line, as is the case here. We do not think these are first editions by any reasonable traditional definition and never describe them as such, preferring to call them "Later Printings. . . " *We feel that books offered for internet sale should be described thoroughly and accurately. We assure the buyer that books listed by Brass Dolphin are so described, and graded, using the strict, traditional standards. *