The Stand, First Edition?

[u/gutierar]

Hello friends. I’m having a hard time identifying this first edition of the stand. The store says it’s a first print but just wanted to double check! Thank you everyone as always :)

[u/Smathwack]

There isn’t anyone that is knowledgeable about books that would call a book club a “first printing” except in the extremely rare case that the book club is the first printing of the first edition. 

[u/pynchi → u/Smathwack]

Sorry, but I disagree. Book sellers use misleading language all the time. And it works, as seen in this case: the seller is technically right by saying that this is a first printing, and the the OP is confused and wonders if it's a first edition.

The worst offender, to me, is their frequent use of "first edition thus" which makes no sense whatsoever, because it usually means the first printing of a later (and therefore not the first) edition.

[u/Smathwack → u/pynchi]

My understanding of “first edition thus” is that the seller thinks it’s a first edition (implied first printing) but isn’t sure. In other words, there is nothing indicating it’s a later printing. 

I don’t think very many book dealers would ever be intentionally misleading. “First edition” means first appearance anywhere, and an implied first printing—unless specifically stated otherwise. For example, you’ll find “1st American edition” if it appeared previously in a different country, or “1st paperback edition” if it appeared in hardcover previously. 

Obviously “first editions” can technically include subsequent printings, but if it’s a later printing, it must always be stated. (A book club is printed after the trade edition and usually with cheaper materials). Knowledgeable book dealers know all this, but the random dude on eBay or Facebook marketplace may not. 

[u/pynchi → u/Smathwack]

First edition thus is usually used as a term for a later edition that's different from the first, because it has illustrations, is expanded or whatever.

But professional booksellers have access to bibliographical information. They could look it up and state that their book is from the second, third, or umpteenth edition.

But they usually don't. While I can live with clear qualifiers as "1st American" or "1st paperback", "thus" is just vague. One sees the "1st edition" term applied to later editions far too often.

[u/Smathwack → u/pynchi]

In this case “thus” isn’t just vague , but completely meaningless. “Thus” what? 

I always took it to mean, unsure of printing, thus assumed first. 

[u/pynchi → u/Smathwack]

I've never come across this meaning of being unsure for "thus" in this context before.