Secrets of a copyright page
By Jessica on July 20th, 2011
There are secrets contained in these letters and numbers!
Early last week, Morgan asked me a question that had been asked of her. The answer: “It’s on the copyright page.” I forget sometimes that not everyone knows what I know. Not everyone can look at a line of numbers and can glean random bits of information from it. In the interest of probably cementing my position as a book nerd (as if there was any doubt) I bring to you, the secrets of the copyright page. [Insert scary music here!]
What is the copyright page? In most books, the copyright page is right behind the title page. It is full of information…if you know where to look for it. It tells you who published your book and its ISBN number. Most of this is straightforward, but then there is this line of numbers that looks like some sort of code… And it is! [Cue maniacal librarian laughter!]
Imagine that you are looking at the copyright page from The Loser List by Holly Kowitt. Starting from the left you will see a string of numbers from 12 at the left and counting down to 1. That line represents the number of printings that a book has gone through. Then there is a space, and then another string of numbers, starting with 11 and going up until 16. Check out the picture to see what I mean. Or, grab a book near you and follow along!
So what does it mean?
Let’s work out from the center where the gap is. The first number to the right of the gap, 11, represents the year that this book was printed. This book was printed in 2011. If you’re following along in a different book, can you now tell which year it was printed?
So what about the other string of numbers? The first number to the left of the gap, in this instance it’s a 1, represents the number of printings a book has had. I can tell from the 1 printed here that I’m holding a copy of the first printing of The Loser List, and it was printed in 2011. [Yay for brand new books!]
Now it’s time for a little test…take a look at this image:
Can you tell which printing it is?
Following the steps above, we can deduce that this book was printed in 2011 and it is from the third printing.
This method works for most hardcover books published today. For books that are much older, you may not see the string of numbers and may have to go to a rare book dealer for more information. [Sounds like a fun field trip!]
Now you can join me in cracking open books and turning to the copyright page. If you are like me, you have bookcases of books just waiting to be explored with your new knowledge!
We’ll bring you more secrets of the copyright page soon. What did you think of this one? Let us know in the comments!
Posted: July 20th, 2011 under Books, More News. .
14 comments
Comments
What if I am looking at a paperback book, and there is no “second string” of numbers? I grabbed Ellen Hopkin’s Burned- and the numbers are: 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 12:51 pm
I am holding the first printing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was in 2005. But all of that information is on the page in other places. What is the benefit of this number system?
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 1:00 pm
In the “So what does it mean section,” you refer to the 1st number to the right of the gap twice. I believe that you meant to write “the first number to the LEFT of the gap” in the paragraph starting with the words “So what about the other string of numbers?”
Great idea for a post!
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Couldn’t help responding to Anna with my thoughts! As someone who works in production/managing editorial and has to look at hundreds of copyright pages on a daily basis (and Jess, I’d bet this holds true for librarians as well!) it’s much easier to go straight to the string of numbers than read through the page looking for the information in other places.
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Michelle — thanks for the catch! You’re right, of course. Fixed!
Jess will answer your questions/comments tomorrow — she’s off today, lucky thing. Thanks everyone!
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Thanks! I always wondered about those numbers.
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 2:00 pm
I have the same issue as Diana. One string of numbers with no gap.
5 7 9 10 8 6. I can tell by the copyright date as well as the first four numbers of the LCCN that the book was published in 2008. Do I look at the number to the left of the 8 and assume this is the 10th printing? Or is there another way?
Other than that thanks for the info! I have a whole bunch of books at the elementary school library were I work that I have removed from circulation because they were very old and I wondered if they might be rare first editions. Now I know how to check!
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Lisa, the copyright date may be earlier than the printing date. Think about the first Harry Potter book. The copyright date is 1998 (?), but the book in hand’s print date might be 2011, because new books are still being printed.
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Works great. Three Douglas Adams books all have the left side numbers, beginning with 1, and actually say First Edition.
But another says 3, and another 4, and they, too, say First Edition.
So what actually is a First Edition, and is every 1 book one of them?
Thanks!
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 4:36 pm
The paperback I picked up only has one string of numbers – 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 – and was printed in Britain. All I can figure out from that is that the “code” counts up by 2 odd numbers, then down by evens. 
I’d love to read more “secrets of the copyright page”.
Comment on July 20, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for your comments! I love seeing all of the other book nerds out there. Thanks Allie for letting us see how other people use the information on the copyright page. Steve, to the best of my knowledge (and if someone knows more about this please let us know) a first edition, back when books were still type set by hand, were printings from the same plate. To my understanding a book can be a first edition and be in the 3rd printing because the file hasn’t been altered — I don’t deal in books in that way, but that’s what I have come to understand since working here. For those of you with questions about the string of numbers, I can’t always tell what they mean without looking at the copyright page itself. Plus, the string of numbers isn’t always uniform, unfortunately. My suggestion is to check with someone who deals in books in your town — like your local librarian, since they may be able to answer any specific questions. Thanks everyone!
Comment on July 22, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Thanks, Allie!
Comment on July 26, 2011 at 6:04 pm
This is great! I wonder if this is related to the question I asked on the scholastic Facebook page regarding how to determine which print run I had of my Harry Potter!
Comment on July 26, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Tara — your question is what inspired us!!! (Seriously!) Thank you
Comment on July 27, 2011 at 2:16 pm
