hi,
I have a copy of old man and the sea by e. hemingway, and i have tried
all over the web to find out if this book is a first edition. i know
it usually says that it is, but i read that the printer code also
tells you. well here it is the code:
135791113151719B/C2018161412108642
is this a first edition? thanks.
Alex

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 22 May 2006 21:19 PDT

Howdy Alex,

Any and all that is printed on the copyright page would help.  Also, if your
copy haw a dust cover (jacket), a detailed description of that would be of
great help as well.  These details could mean the difference between $5.00
and $3,000.00.  Thanks!

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

Hi speedygv,

A description of the first edition is here:

Assignment 1: Bibliographic Description
First Edition Publication Information
Pagination:
[i] blank
[ii] BOOKS BY
[1] half title
[2] blank
[3] title page
THE OLD MAN | AND | THE SEA | ERNEST HEMINGWAY | CHARLES SCIBNER'S
SONS, NEW YORK | 1952
[4] notices of copyright, note of origin, reservation of rights,
Scribner's "A," and Scibner's press device
[5] dedication: TO CHARLIE SCRIBNER | AND | MAX PERKINS
[6] blank
[7] half title
[8] blank;
The drawing on the dust jacket is by "A" and the photograph of
Hemingway on the back cover was taken by Lee Samuels.
The binding is light blue cloth with the author's signature
blind-stamped on the backstrip.
The first printing consisted of 50,000 copies.
http://www3.isrl.uiuc.edu/~unsworth/courses/bestsellers/search.cgi?title=The+Old+Man+and+the+Sea

You'll find images of the title page and copyright page of a first
edition here (there are other photos, but they don't load for me):
OLD MAN AND THE SEA Ernest Hemingway FIRST EDITION "A"
http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-MAN-AND-THE-SEA-Ernest-Hemingway-FIRST-EDITION-A_W0QQitemZ7024713148QQcategoryZ29223QQcmdZViewItem

You'll find images of the dustjacket, cloth binding, and a description here:

"Description: Hemingway, Ernest. 
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952.
The volume is first issue, with the "A" and Scribner's seal on the
copyright page, and the jacket is too, with Hemingway's portrait on
the rear panel (no mention of the Nobel Prize) and with the $3.00
price on the front flap.
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=662114917&searchurl=an%3DErnest%2BHemingway%26ph%3D2%26tn%3DOld%2BMan%2BSea%26sortby%3D1

I hope this helps and I hope the news is good!  If you have any
questions, please post a clarification request and wait for me to
respond before closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used: 
"old man and the sea" hemingway first edition A

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Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 23 May 2006 06:58 PDT

The rear cover of the dustjacket must be the blue version:
http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/amlit/hemingway/seaboth.jpg

To summarize:
Scribner "A" and colophon (logo) on copyright page
Light blue binding
No mention of Pulitzer or Nobel Prize
Blue dust jacket
$3.00 on inside flap of dustjacket

hummer

For whatever it is worth, the "C2018161412108642" seems to indicate that is
was published by Scribners.