Book Information Convention

This is a short note on the shorthand I used for book information. The convention, similar to that used by queueing theory, separates vital information by "/":


Edition/Print/Signed/Country/Publisher/Year of Publication/Circulation Copies  •  Dimensions (mm)  •  Weight (gram)  •  Awards

Edition - This is the edition marker and takes the following values:
    • "1" denotes first edition and so on.
    • "1Trade" denotes first trade edition, meaning a limited true first exists.
    • "1Thus" denotes first edition thus (i.e., not true first edition).
    • "L" denotes generic later edition.
Printing - This is the printing marker to distinguish first printing from later printing. True first editions ausually refer to first edition first printing:
    • "1" denotes first printing and so on.
    • "L" denotes generic later edition.
Signed - This is the signature marker to denote whether the book is signed:
    • "0" denotes not signed, or signature is facsimile only.
    • "1" denotes signed but authenticity cannot or has not been verified; almost all signed trade editions are "1".
    • "2" denotes an almost surely authentic signature of the author; this is mostly used for publisher-issued signed edition.
    • "2*" denotes an almost surely authentic signature of a non-author, usually the illustrator, for limited illustrated edition.
Country - This is the country of publication marker that is sometimes instrumental for determining the true first edition. For example, Alice Munro's Canadian rather than US editions are generally considered the true firsts.


Publisher -This is the publisher marker that is useful for first edition determination as well. See below for the list of publisher acronyms.

Year of Publication - This is the year of publication marker.

Circulation Copies - This is the marker for the number of circulated copies for the particular edition and printing. This is not a generally known number but is a useful rarity gauge:
    • "?" denotes unknown
    • "c." denotes claims not from official source and not independently corroborated
    • "o." denotes official or credible claims
Dimensions - Dimensions of the book is given in millimeter (mm) for length x width x thickness. This is measured manually by a common ruler, so expect error of +/- 0.3mm. For the imperial measurist, one inch is 25.4mm.

Weight - Weight of the book + dustjacket if available, measured by a digital scale, is given in gram (g). One pound is about 454g.


Awards - Major awards for the book are noted, and "(F)" denotes finalist status only. Winners are listed first followed by finalists in this sequence: Nobel Prize (this is an exception for it is awarded to the author for a collection of work instead of the book in question), Pulitzer, National Book Award (NBA), National Book Critics Circle Award (NBCCA), William Dean Howells (WDH) Medal, and then others.


List of Publisher Acronyms
    • AF - Alfred Knopf
    • AL - Alantic Monthly Press
    • AM - Andrews McMeel
    • AS - Amistad
    • BE - Nradbury & Evans
    • CW - Chatto & Windus
    • DD - DoubleDay
    • DN - David Nutt
    • DU - Dutton
    • EC - Ecco
    • EP - Easton Press
    • FE - Fourth Estate
    • FS - Folio Society
    • FL - Franklin Library
    • FSC - Farrar, Straus & Cudahy
    • FSG - Farrar, Straus & Giroux
    • GA - George Allen & Unwin
    • GC - Grand Central Publishing
    • GD - Grosset & Dunlap
    • GRS - George Routledge & Sons
    • HB - Harcourt, Brace & Company
    • HC - Harper Collins
    • HH - Henry Holt
    • HM - Houghton Mifflin
    • HMH - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    • HR - Harper & Row
    • HRW - Holt, Rinehart & Winston
    • HS - Harrison Smith & Robert Haas
    • JA - Jarrold & Sons
    • JBL - J. B. Lippincott
    • JC - Jonathan Cape
    • JD - John Day Company
    • LB - Little, Brown
    • LC - London Cape
    • LEC - Limited Editions Club
    • LG - Longmans, Green & Co.
    • MA - Mariner
    • MGH - McGraw Hill
    • MMC - MacMillan Canada
    • MS - McClelland & Stewart
    • MU - Methuen & Co
    • ND - New Directions
    • OM - Osgood, McIlvaine & Co.
    • PA - Pantheon
    • PE - Penguin
    • PC - Porter & Coates
    • PO - Poisedon
    • RH - Random House
    • RI - Riverhead Books
    • RK - Routledge & Kegan Paul
    • RY - Ryerson Press Toronto
    • SN - Scribner
    • SS - Simon & Schuster
    • ML - Modern Library
    • VG - Vanguard
    • VK - Viking Press
    • WM - William Morrow
    • WWN - W. W. Norton

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