Help identifying Fight Club printing/edition?

Check Ebay. You'll at least see a pic of what it looks like, that's how I found mine.

In the book section here at the Cult there are pictures.  There are tons on ebay or abebooks.com, but most are later printings.  You can probably find one for <$40.  If you want a REAL first edition, it'll have a number line like 123456789 on the copyright page, which means first printing.  If the line was 5678910111213 it'd be a first edition, FIFTH printing.  There are paperbacks if you just want to read it. 

I dont get why you would pay more just cause it got printed first. Why don't you just but the newer one? Cheaper and has a cool intro by Chuck.

Hi, thanks very much for the reply.

Very informative.

I already own a newer one.

I bought the first UK paperback edition of Fight Club, but since it's my favorite contemporary novel I'd like to own an original US first Edition.

I've read it countless times, and will no doubt read it many more. I'd simply like to own a 1st Edition of one of my favorite books.

They often say 'first edition' when they're still like 8th printing. I think mine's a 7th printing, but still says 'First Edition'

A lot of people pimp 1st's that aren't 1st's. One distinguishing trait is that Chuck's name on the bottom of the 1st/1st is not cut. On newer ones, it is. I don't know when this stopped though. 

It's called collecting.  The only books of an author that will have any long term value are the first edition, first printing.  That's why it costs $40 to buy a first edition, 34th printing of Fight Club, but $300-1000+ for a first edition, first printing. 

There are a whole lot of reasons why the first edition is the valuable, collectible one.  The cover art is usually unique.  And there are usually less printed. For example, I collect Stephen King.  A first edition, first printing of Carrie goes for $1000+.  The cover art on the hardcover US has changed about four times since then.  It's just the nature of book collecting.  Some people think it is insane.  For others it is a thrill, fun to try and find these copies, and value.  I've made some money.  I bought an anthology of short horror stories for $40, signed by all of the authors, guys like Stephen King, Clive Barker, F. Paul Wilson, etc.  It now sells for $3-400.

Most original print runs are less.  For example, I think Carrie had maybe 10,000 copies.  King's latest was probably in the millions.  It makes them more rare.  Same with limited editions, and signed limited editions.  I bought the Palahniuk limited of Rant.  It's a pretty cool book, and I think only a couple hundred were made.  That's in the entire world.  It's like the difference between buying a print of a painting, and buying the painting.

 . .

actually, fight club is a rare example..  you can still buy first edition hard covers via amazon for $16.

no, im not kidding.  order one right away and when it comes in it will be an official first edition

seventh or eight printing, but as youve said you dont care about that

the cut paper is in the first edition current printings

and i believe the first edition first printing was the same

the major difference, aside from the numberline, is that the first edition reads $23.95 and the later printings read $25.95

so, you can get a hard cover first edition--current printing, but first edition--for $16 from amazon, or you can buy one on ebay anywhere form $40 to $60

your choice and good luck

kabol

..

I couldn't agree more Sir, thank you for the astute and well-thought out reply.

I'm also a big King fan, have been for many years.

I own basically every book he's ever published, but sadly no US 1st Editions.

The most valuable book I own is actually a signed 1st edition (UK HB) of Lisey's Story. Mainly it's value comes from the way in which I aquired it; King gave a reading from the book in London last year and sat for a signing session after.

Hell of a day Sir, hell of a day...

I am about to post a First Edition, First Printing, autographed by Chuck Palahniuk on EBay.  There is one on there now with a Buy It Now price of $999.99.  The one I own is even more special because of the personal inscription "Self Improvement is Masturbation".  Get ready to bid!!

No, ill pass. thank you.

The most I ever paid for an autographed book was a hundred bucks for the hardback From hell with Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's autographs in it.  And the only reason I got that was because I wanted the whole series in a hardback format. the signatures were just a bonus.

Well, I have a collection of King worth about $10,000 if you want anything PM me, I'm selling bits of it off - US 1sts, UK 1sts, 1st shorts in magazines, anthologies, signed/limited, etc.

And what, no LINK to that Fight Club for sale?

The most I've ever paid for anything was about $300, but I've also bought books for $40 and sold them for $300.

I also saw a hardcover of FC that was Red and Black, I believe, instead of Gold and Black.

Noted previously is that the price on the first printing is $23.95 versus $25.95, but I think I found a first edition first printing that has $21.00 on the inside dust jacket...

The first five lines on Copyright page read:

"Copyright 1996 Chuck Palahniuk
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition"

The ISBN reads "0-393-03976-5"

The number line reads "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0."

I would have thought that this was a 1st/1st until I read in this string that the price on the first printing should have read $23.95. Does anyone know anything about this discrepancy?

Also, I heard a rumor that after the first edition the ingredients for the bombs was altered. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

i think they switched the ingredients thing while it was still in manuscript. So none of the books should have the actual formula.

i thought they only switched it during the ms for the movie but that the book had it right

im pretty sure i heard that in the dvd commentary for the movie
and didnt dennis just sell an official first edition first printing approx 2 months ago?
does anyone remember the cover price. i'm now too thinking it was $21 even
-kabol

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!!!

More to come very soon...

Can someone tell me the details on First editions? I think I have a miraculous Christmas story in the works.

I was at Barnes n' Noble, going through the "P" section. Naturally, I glance through Palahniuk's books. At the start of the line of Fight Clubs, there was this hard cover with a jacket. I thought, 'Hm, that's weird. A new hardcover?' I examine it, and see that it has the recognizable cover art of the first edition. It's a little abused. The jacket's a little crumpled in the corner, there's a tiny tear in it at the bottom. I think 'wouldn't it be cool if this was a first edition? No way.' I look inside. It says "First Edition". I start freaking. I go up to the help desk and ask a bunch of questions about the book that go along the lines of "could it be?" One lady was a Palahniuk fan, and looks it up for me, and is just as baffled as I am as to how it got there. She looks it up on the computer, and it says it was printed in '96, but it doesn't say "First Edition". But it does say it in the book. So now I'm really really wondering what's going on with this thing. I bought it for the $23.95+tax it says on the jacket. Now I need to know what's up.

Here are the details.

The ISBN in the book is 0-393-03976-5
The ISBN on the jacket, however, is 978-0-393-03976-4
There is NO number line in the book, unless a lone "0" on the bottom counts (I wouldn't know).

What am I looking at, here?

First addition, not a first printing, as far as i know. a first printing would have something like 01234 for the isbn. But theres a good chance i could be wrong.

I have a 1st/1st and the cover price is $21.
And the ISBN is 0-393-03976-5

So someone switched out the jacket? Or is my jacket different because of some regional thing?

I think you have a first edition/10th printing.

I was an expert about six years ago when I found mine--but, after not looking into it for a while, I could be wrong.

I just don't know what the lack of a number line means. It just has a "0". That's the odd thing. And the difference in the ISBNs between the book and the jacket, too. Someone must analyze these discrepancies!

I'm not sure about the ISBNs.
But my understanding of the nuber line is:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 :is a 1st printing
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 :is a 2nd printing
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 :3rd...etc.

That was my understanding, too. But this "0" is tripping me out.

There has never been a "second" edition.

You have a tenth printing as near as I can tell.

So, not worth the $23.95 I paid for it? Crap.

It's a hardcover. I'd pay $25 for a hardcover in newish condition.

I think I'll just destroy every other copy of Fight Club evar. We'll see how valuable my copy is then.

I always wanted to buy two copies of that Amazing Stories with the first appearance of Superman and then publicly set fire to one of them, making my other copy increase in value tenfold.

You could sit there and eat it like Homer did that one time with the Spiderman book.

Mine is a 1st ed/3rd printing.

The bottom number line reads 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0.

The cover price is 23.95.

Sadly, when Chuck signed it, Julia had just blurted out she got it for me for my birthday. So he writes, "Happy Birthday Tony!!" and his name.

I wanted him to write, "Tony hit me as hard as he could."

I still need to go to a Chuck reading/signing.

Unfortunately he never comes closer than six hours away. And never at a convenient time where I can take off work.

They look great--sucks to be me.

Has anyone noticed the difference in the cloth coloring of the hardcover book? I have a 1st/1st and the cloth color is burgundy. I bought recently a new hardcover book, so I can read it as I do not want to disturb by 1st/1st anymore. The cloth cover is yellow. I wonder if the 2nd print on was changed to yellow. I saw a 4th print on eBay the other day and it was yellow.

Hello all,

I was on eBay today and saw a copy of fight club that has the yellow boards BUT has a full number line. The seller isn't selling it as a first edition and points out that the yellow boards were indicative of later printings, so I am confident as to the accuracy of the listing. It should also be noted that the copyright page looks slightly different then the true 1st's, specifically the publishers addresses.

My question to people knowledgable on the history of this books is, do you think this is a printing mistake by Norton ( maybe this was a prototype that got released), or an actual first printing with different boards (meaning there are two variants of the true 1st/1st)?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Link to auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIGHT-CLUB-Chuck-Palahniuk-SIGNED-1ST-ED-HC-DJ-F...