The RecognitionsWilliam GaddisHarcourt, Brace

First edition Paperback

The Recognitions (1955)

William Gaddis · Harcourt, Brace, New York · Updated 29 Oct 2026

Publisher Harcourt, Brace Year 1955

I own this Add by ISBN

Market value

What decides the price

It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
Paperback firsts are usually modest unless they are paperback originals; later printings carry little premium.
Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

Buy a copy: eBay

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.

I own this Want this

Pro members with this book on their wantlist are emailed when it sells under their price.

In short

Quick answer

Who published The Recognitions first edition?: Harcourt, Brace, New York, in 1955, in paperback.

Publisher's practice

How Harcourt, Brace marked its first editions

Harcourt, Brace and Howe (1919 to 1921) marked a first printing with a small figure 1 on the copyright page, or with a "Published (month, year)" line, and numbered or noted later printings.
From the early 1930s first printings state "First Edition" on the copyright page. Harcourt, Brace and World (1960 to 1970) kept the statement.
Under Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, from 1973 to 1983 a first printing reads "First Edition" above a letter row starting with B (for example "BCDE"), not A.
From 1983 a first printing reads "First Edition" with a letter row starting with A. A row starting with B, or a copy without the "First Edition" statement, is a later printing, so check both.
A jacket with no price on the front flap, on a book smaller and cheaper than the trade edition, marks a book club edition.

Read the full guide to Harcourt, Brace 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

1955

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.

I own this: add to my collection Want this

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published The Recognitions first edition?

Harcourt, Brace, New York, in 1955, in paperback.

Collecting guides

Know what you are looking at

All guides

12 min read

Book Club Editions: How to Spot a BCA or Book Club Copy

A book club edition is a copy printed for a mail-order club and sold to members, often looking almost identical …

Read the guide →7 min read

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 …

Read the guide →6 min read

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 →