The Basics of Identifying Shute First Editions
printed by William Morrow & Company

There are three basic characteristics that the first editions printed
by William Morrow & Company share. Verifying these is the first
step in determining if your book is a first edition. When collecting
the William Morrow first editions of these titles all* of the
following identifying marks must be present.

(1) The book's dust jacket must show the price on the upper inside
front flap. Also, make sure the book's dust jacket matches the 1st
edition dust jacket images we have provided on this site.

Listed below are some general tips for collecting books, followed by
3 basic tips to help in identifying Nevil Shute First Editions printed
by William Morrow & Company.

Condition

Like most collectables, the condition of your book is paramount in
it's value. All things being equal, a first edition that has been kept
in "as new" condition holds a much greater value than a book that
shows the typical signs of age and wear. The more aging or
alterations the book may have, the less valuable it becomes.
Many serious collectors of books will buy a reading copy, in
addition to the first edition they have purchased, to avoid the
normal wear that is associated with reading a book and to keep
their investment at it's highest value. Signs of age (fading, age
spots, ect), marks, writing, bookplates, tears, weak spines, signs of
wear, or any changes in the book from the original condition of the
book usually deflates the value. There are a few exceptions to this
rule. One, that comes to mind, would be handwriting in the book by
the author or some well known personality. Certainly, that could
increase the value of your investment.

Dust Jackets

Often times non-collectors discard their book's dust jacket. The
fact is, the presence of the original dust jacket greatly increases
the book's value. As with the book, the condition of the dust jacket
is very important. Alterations, such as clipping the price off of the
inside flap of the dust jacket, holes, tears, marking, and such will
certainly devalue the book.

Keep this in mind, also....all the information I have provided throughout
this website is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate. However, I am
human and subject to error. In the effort of putting this site together
there could be mistakes that I have made, which happens frequently when
identifying first editions by self proclaimed "experts" at many levels. It
is my advice and recommendation that you never take one person's
information (including mine or anyone else's) as the final word, but do
your own research to confirm your information. I wish you well in your
collecting!

(2) The book must not show any latter printings of that same
edition (such as a second or greater printing as shown below)
on the copyright page.

* the one possible exception to this might be the book entitled "Ordeal".
Refer to the Ordeal First Edition Tips and Dust Jacket Page

of collecting Shute first
editions by William Morrow
and Company

(3) Finally, make sure that Morrow is listed at the publisher for that
edition.

Remember...these tips are only for identifying the Morrow and Company
first editions. Morrow was the publisher that printed most of Shute's
American first editions, but not all (such as The Mysterious Aviator).
Keep in mind that some of the other printings can be extremely valuable
as well (such as some of the Cassell, Heinemann and Houghton Mifflin
editions).