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Dust jackets possess issue points exactly as books do. One of the major advantages our 20th Century First Edition Fiction: A Price and Identification Guide has over other first edition guides is that dust jacket issue points are included, as are estimates of how much they contribute to the overall value.

For example, the information in our guide for Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October's dust jacket is presented as follows:

"Several points distinguish a first edition DJ. The DJ has no price on it and the rear DJ panel contains six reviews, has 'ISBN 0-87021-285-0' on the bottom right, and has no bar code. The reviews on a first edition DJ (from top to bottom) are by Jack Higgins, Joseph Wambaugh, Clive Cussler, Edward Beach, John Moore, and Stansfield Turner. On later issue DJs, the order of the above reviews is changed and reviews by John Alden and Reid Beddow are added."

The first issue dust jacket of this book is unusual in that it is unpriced - which is usually an almost certain indication of book club status. Also, HRRO dust jackets are fairly rare. Initially, there was a small print run, and a price of $14.95 was added to the dust jacket for the second printing. This prevents dust jackets from later printings being used on first edition books. These factors are taken into consideration when we put a value on the book, both with and without a dust jacket, in our price guide. Next month we will discuss how books are graded.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the lowest price online, purchase Thomas Lee's 20th Century First Edition Fiction: A Price and Identification Guide here.