Conundrum, cover of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974 edition (the Faber & Faber 1974 cover is not yet photographed)Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974 cover

Cover of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974 edition of this book. The Faber & Faber 1974 jacket has not been photographed yet.

First edition Hardback

Conundrum (1974)

Publisher Faber & Faber Year 1974 ISBN 9780571209460

Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 Oct 2026.

Market value

What decides the price

  • It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
  • The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
  • Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

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Sales record

No sales recorded yet

We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.

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In short

Quick answer

Who published the Conundrum first edition?
Faber & Faber, London, in 1974, in hardback.
Publisher's practice

How Faber & Faber marked its first editions

A Faber first edition has a single "First published" line on the back of the title page with no reprint dates beneath it; on older books the year in that line is written in Roman numerals, as in "First published in mcml".

Allen and Patricia Ahearn's publisher list for ILAB gives the "First published" statement, says later printings are noted, and says the year was in Roman numerals before the switch to Arabic. Several unrelated dealers offering 1950 Faber firsts describe the same thing: "First published in mcml" on the verso and no other printings listed.

Read the full guide to Faber & Faber first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.

Printing by printing

Printings and states

First impression

1974

At a glance

Not yet researched

We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.

Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.

Notes

The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the Conundrum first edition?

Faber & Faber, London, in 1974, in hardback.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  • British National Bibliography, record GB7410907

Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.