A practical collector’s guide

Five-point check

How to identify a copy

1. Read the ISBN.Match all 13 digits; format and territory usually have different identifiers.
2. Check format and dimensions.A hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook are separate editions even when the cover resembles another.
3. Find the publication line.“First published” names the work’s history; a number line or explicit impression statement identifies the printing more precisely.
4. Confirm imprint and territory.UK Penguin or Viking details should not be applied automatically to US or translated editions.
5. Record condition plainly.Note jacket, inscriptions, damage and provenance without turning them into a valuation.