Book edition numbers are located on the copyright page.
An edition of a book comprises all the copies that are printed together in one print run, and which therefore are virtually identical. If any substantial changes are made to the book after the first print-run, such as the author making textual changes or the jacket being redesigned, it becomes another edition. Publishers are obliged to indicate the edition inside the book.
Instructions
Determining Edition
1. Locate the copyright page. The copyright page is on the reverse of the title page and contains information about the publisher, the rights of the author and details about printing. The edition numbers will be a row of ten or less digits, not always in numerical order, depending on the edition.
2. Look for the lowest number in the row of digits at the foot of the copyright page and that will be the edition. For example, a third edition (a copy produced during the third print-run) will usually have the series of digits 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3. A second edition will include the numeral 2. The row of digits may also be accompanied by the year of the printing. This can be useful if you know when the book was originally published.
3. Determine a first edition by checking that it has all ten numbers on the copyright page. Some publishers will also print the phrase "first edition" on the same page, removing it for subsequent printings. First editions are more highly-prized by book collectors as they tend to be smaller print-runs and are therefore more exclusive.
