Do book sellers constantly lie, purposely misleading people, or just super ignorant?

[chrispass918]

So there’s first edition, book club edition and other trade printings. There’s this one author I always search for but people always tend to call book club edition “1st edition” when first editions have a price in the dust jacket and no numbers and sometimes even when the dust jacket says it’s book club edition they still call it 1st edition in the listing title even tho the book is literally showing that it’s book club edition and another thing people tend to do is that they call it 1st edition but never show the inside of the dust jacket and the copy right page and they just show the front and back of the book or just the front, the reason why that’s a problem is cause people that are new to collecting the author wouldn’t even know a difference between first edition and book club edition so then they’d overpay for a book club edition. I know people don’t know anything cause sometimes all they do is read the book but they still call it first edition and just show the front of the book but not knowing isn’t really a excuse cause google exists and if they call it first edition they might as well just look up what first edition means since they have internet. Even when it’s a different trade edition peoplestill call it “1st edition 1st print” even tho it’s just 5th,6th,7th etc printing. It just happens to often that’s why I think people are trying to purposely mislead new collectors who don’t know anything they wouldn’t know the right thing to ask and just buy it, here’s an example https://www.ebay.com/itm/115167078018?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao... (they say it has a price in the dust jacket but don’t even bother showing it and to get to the copy right page they would’ve have to get past the inside flap so there’s literally no excuse to show the picture of the price when they already passed it) they call it first edition but only the front, copyright and back but not the inside of the dust jacket. Personally I think it should be required that every book listing should have front, back, inside of the dust jacket, and the side of the book. It’s actually pretty rare that I see a actual accurate first edition listing. 

[chrispass918]

I can’t upload the rest of the pictures for some reason but then it goes first printing with 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 on the copy right page, then book club edition is no price on the dust jacket and no numbers on the copy right page. Actually my 3 Stephen king book listing shows examples of book club editions and a trade edition. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

A person can clearly see a SK BCE just by first glance. No need to see any front page. They are smaller. 

They were the first to be printed and sent to people in book clubs because that is why they joined the club. To get the book before it was released publicly. 

Some love them, some don't care as his books are getting more rare, some BCE books hold value and if a person wants a first edition just ask for the copywrite page. I have a see BCE's, idc. The Shining BCE is about 100 on other sites. 

Don't worry about misleading people who "don't know". It's just a book and they are usually happy to get it. As long as it says BCE then it's BCE. Technically they were the first editions but not the first published. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

I see first editions all the time. I have one for sale. I see them literally ALL over ebay. I just bought 3 firsts. I have found both first and bce of Bachman Books here. They are all over ebay. I have even bought them on other sites. 

[chrispass918]

So let me get this straight, you think ANY book that doesn’t say it’s book club edition is first edition? “As long as it says BCE then it's BCE”

[suzysemporium]

I probably should not touch this with a ten foot pole. Maybe you can clarify something for me. When there is a number line from 1 to 10 or 10 to 1, if the one is there that means it is a first print. If it ends with a 4, it is the fourth print?

Publishers did not make it easy to tell if something is a first edition or not., especially if you get into the early part of the 1900s. I have one from the 20s, and two from the 40s listed. I would not know where to begin to tell if they were first edition or which print.

I don't sell many books. I figure if I took clear pictures of the copyright page, and the page that shows a ton of information including the bar line if there, front, back, inside dust covers, spine, and any issues I should be good. If the book says first edition or first print, and I show where it says that, I should be good?

If the dust jacket has a price, I need to show that.

If it says book club or is a library book, I tend to splatter that information everywhere.

[reallynicestamps]

Still wrong.

The Science Fiction Book Club does print first editions -- the first time a book has been printed as a book.

The SFBC was more likely to be the first bound edition of a novel, novella or anthology from the 1960s through the 1980s in particular.

There are today also First Editions that are softcover, usually trade paperbacks.

The true first of Terry Pratchett's Eric is a softcover. The hardcover edition is a reprint.

And yeah it sells for substantial sums-- $200 if scruffy, more if pristine.

It's a niche I've been active in since 1964 or so. 

[chrispass918]

Yea, what ever number it ends with is what print it is. The copy right page and the inside of the dust jacket is always a must. 

[chrispass918]

I couldn’t edit my first response but, Yea, what ever the first number is that it begins with is what print it it. My Cujo starts at 2 so there for it’s second printing. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

I said if the person days it's a BCE then it's a Book .... Club ....Edition. 

If it does not say BCE and you are not sure what it is or if it says its a first but does not show proof, just ask. A lot of us don't show the copywrite page on a first edition. Sometimes we do. If in doubt. Ask and the seller will post it. If not, move on to another one. 

It's a book. It's not hard. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

Google Stephen King First Editions and look for the page with a list of all his firsts and the numbers associated and then screen shot it for reference. 

And good luck with The Eyes of the Dragon because it was a weird one. 

My BEST advice as I own every single SK book and Bachman Book plus duplicate copies and duplicate BCE copies of many. 

Books from libraries can be first editions. They usually come wrapped with a plastic protective cover on the dust jacket that is glued and stamped but you can always look at numbers. I cover all my dust jackets in the same material but I don't glue it. You can buy rolls of it on Amazon. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

IDK about SCI FI but it definitely is the same for The Bachman Books. There is  BCE hardback. A first edition (sold to public) hardback AND a first editon (sold to public) paperback. I have had all 3 before, I now have a first paperback and a BCE. I sold my first HB for over 100 bucks. It was from Louisiana and it had a smell..like...New Orleans. 

I once found one on another site for 5 bucks. So it pays to shop around. Off topic but I have even gotten firsts from other book selling sites as a surprise. I ordered a Christine HB once. Said excellent condition. It was Idk 10 bucks. Near mint arrived and surprise...first published edition. 

People get way too much in a tissy over SK. You havr the cool collectors and you have the paranoid ones. I think the picky stems from likely never buying them in the 90's. When a lot of us bought them back then and sold them and donated and bought at a library sale and on and on. In 100 years there won't be many SK books left TO buy and evena BCE may be worth a lot. It is the market really. I noticed teens who just discovered him are perfectly fine with a beat up paperback. And Will gladly buy a BCE for 50 to 100. They don't seem to care...

[soh.a-3]

So as a book retailer yourself, what are you attempting to say? From the phrasing of your title apparently you're remembering yourself for the blend. Is this an instance of someone acting over the top hypocritical?

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

@chrispass918 

Now don't go getting upset over a book. 

I had a BCE Bachman Book and I sold it for about 100 dollars. Some guy on a SK FB group got in a tissy but I sold it at the current market value at that time. He didn't control the market and it was really stupid to even tell me lol to lower my price. I could put a grand on it if I want. I said it was a BCE and the buyer was happy with it. Free market. 

Bottom line, this is a common theme in the SK book line and I had never experienced it until after the "IT"movie came out. I can assure you I DO own every one of his books and I have them stamped with "From the Library of (my name) To My Son (his name). They are embossed. He gets my entire collection. But I am not here to flex. 

You came and complained about  BCE being adcertised as a first edition. Well, it depends on how you look at it. If you are looking for a first printing that was made available to the public with the price on the dust jacket then find one. They are everywhere. If a seller says it is a BCE then they are telling you it's BCE and you can choose to buy or not. 

Get used to seeing his older ones be BCE because they are very expensive or are missing dust jackets and getting more rare. So, you can pay 200 for a mint "first" of The Dead Zone or 100 for a pretty awesome condition of a BCE. 

I would not worry about all the "ignorant buyers getting duped". People looking for affordable SK books are happy with BCE's and being nit picky does no good. Move past that seller and find one you like. You won't change the SK universe of book selling and....I can think of a thousand other things to care about that matter. 

IF you ever get to buying EOTD, if you have not got the first yet, you will LOVE the fact that they only printed a few with the scaled cover and then stopped because they knew it would be a crap book. Then they realized it was selling well but to cut costs they started ANOTHER first of EOTD with non scaled covers. Then second editions...and on and on. So....there is no true answer to that one. Either you look for one with scales or one without. They are both firsts. 😂 I owned both once and there was literally zero difference except I think the name of the artist. 

But...I already have every thing so I will just buy and sell ones I find other places. The people arguing over them are insane. The book club was awesome. And I would not be surprised when those even become more expensive as snobs seem to not want them so they will be mostly all that is left and people will want the book. 

[chrispass918]

You aren’t reading my posts and don’t tell me about stuff I know way more than you do. 

[victoriasecreteposhseller]

Ok. Well I hope you can use your knowledge to find a first edition. 

And there are no book police, so, spend your time looking at books you want, instead of books you just don't agree with the listing LOL. I can't imagine why that would make someone mad but, it apparently does.