Pigeon Post, cover of another edition (the Jonathan Cape 1936 cover is not yet photographed)

Cover of another edition of this book. The Jonathan Cape 1936 jacket has not been photographed yet.

First edition Hardback Swallows and Amazons series

Pigeon Post (1936)

Arthur Ransome · Jonathan Cape, London [etc.

Publisher Jonathan Cape Year 1936

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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 Pigeon Post first edition?: Jonathan Cape, London [etc., in 1936, in hardback.

Publisher's practice

How Jonathan Cape marked its first editions

UK first editions name Jonathan Cape on the title page and carry a "First Published" statement with the year on the reverse of the title page. A first impression shows that statement with no later printings listed beneath it.
Live and Let Die (1954) exists in three jacket states on first-impression copies, told apart by whether and where the jacket designer's credit appears on the front flap.
Press reviews printed on the jacket flaps generally indicate a jacket from a later impression; on Casino Royale (1953) a Times review on the front flap marks a later run.

Read the full guide to Jonathan Cape 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

1936

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.

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Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the Pigeon Post first edition?

Jonathan Cape, London [etc., in 1936, in hardback.

Collecting guides

Know what you are looking at

All guides

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Dust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value

For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …

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How to Identify a First Edition

To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …

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Book Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained

Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …

Read the guide →