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How to identify a first edition of A Game of Thrones (Bantam, 1996)
The true US first edition, first printing of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones was published by Bantam Spectra in September 1996. It is easy to confuse with the book club edition, which uses the same cover art and also says 1996. Five checks, each shown below on real copies, tell them apart in under a minute.
First printing, unsigned, near fine: $558 · Signed, near fine: $3,144 · Full values by condition
The five checks
- Copyright page reads “A Bantam Spectra Book / September 1996”.
- Number line at the foot of the copyright page: BVG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, ending in 1.
- Price on the front jacket flap: $21.95 (Canada $29.95).
- The jacket is printed on reflective silver foil, not flat grey paper.
- Under the jacket, Martin’s signature is pressed into the foot of the front board.
1. The printing line on the copyright page
Turn to the copyright page, the back of the title page. A first printing names the imprint and the month of publication directly under the title: “A Bantam Spectra Book / September 1996”. The book club edition has the title alone, with nothing under it.
2. The number line ends in 1
At the very foot of the same page, under “Printed in the United States of America”, a first printing has the full number line BVG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The lowest number is the printing: if the line stops at 2 or higher, the copy is a later printing. The book club edition has no number line at all (see the copyright pages above).
3. The price on the jacket flap
A first printing’s jacket is priced at the top of the front flap: In U.S. $21.95 / In Canada $29.95, also repeated above the barcode on the back. The book club jacket carries no price. Check that the corner hasn’t been clipped: a clipped flap removes this point and lowers the value.
4. Silver foil or flat grey
The quickest check, even across a room: the first printing’s jacket is printed on reflective silver foil that shines and scuffs easily. The book club jacket has the same art on flat, light grey paper. Both carry the Robert Jordan quote at the top, so the quote alone proves nothing.
In hand, tilt the jacket: the foil catches the light like metal, the book club paper stays flat.
5. The signature pressed into the board
Take the jacket off. On the first printing, a facsimile of George R.R. Martin’s signature is blind-stamped (pressed, without ink) into the foot of the front board. Tilt the book toward the light to see it. The book club copies we compared have a plain dark board with no stamp.
First printing or book club edition? At a glance
| First edition, first printing | Book club edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright page | “A Bantam Spectra Book / September 1996” | No printing line under the title |
| Number line | BVG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 | None |
| Jacket price | $21.95 / $29.95 Canada | None |
| Jacket finish | Silver foil | Flat light grey |
| Front board | Signature blind-stamped at the foot | Plain |
A copy needs all five. A first printing book in a book club jacket, or the reverse, is a “married” copy and is worth less than a matched first.
Common questions
- My copy says “First Edition” but has no number line. Is it a first?
- Probably not. The book club edition is often listed as a “first edition” because it is the first book club printing. Without the number line ending in 1 and the September 1996 line, it is not the Bantam first printing.
- Can I sell my copy?
- Yes. We value the exact copy from recorded sales and make a firm cash offer, free and with no obligation.
All images are recreated from photographs of real copies, most from the BBourse collection. Printed type, jacket art and the stamped signature are taken from the photos exactly; lighting, glare and wear are removed so the points read clearly.
Have a first printing? Send a few photos and get a firm offer in 2–3 days. Get an offer.