- For most of its history Putnam printed no first-edition statement: in 1947 the firm said it did not normally mark first editions on the back of the title page, and dealers confirm that older Putnam first editions carry no statement.
- Putnam did note later printings under the copyright notice, so on an older Putnam book a copyright page with no printing note points to a first printing.
- From 1985 Putnam books show the printing with a number row; first printings of its mid-1980s titles carry a full row including the 1.
- Where a printing line appears on the copyright page, the lowest number shows the printing, whatever order the numbers run in; a line with a 1 normally indicates a first printing.
- Book club editions are a common trap: their jackets usually carry no price on the front flap, so a priced jacket is one of the first things to check.
Publisher · founded 1838 · New York City
G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is a New York publisher founded in 1838, first publisher of The Godfather, and part of Penguin Random House.
- Editions tracked
- 597
- First editions
- 363
- Books
- 593
- Years
- 1848 to 2021
G.P. Putnam's Sons is a publisher based in New York City, founded in 1838. We track 597 editions it published between 1848 and 2021, 363 of them first editions across 593 books. How G.P. Putnam's Sons marked its first editions is set out below, with a checker for the year on your title page.
About G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, founded in 1838 and an imprint of the Penguin group since 1996, now within Penguin Random House.
George Palmer Putnam began in partnership with John Wiley as Wiley & Putnam in 1838, and in 1841 opened a London branch in Covent Garden, the first American publisher to do so. He went his own way in 1848 and launched Putnam's Magazine in 1853. After his death his sons took over and in 1872 renamed the firm G. P. Putnam's Sons. Its authors have included Edgar Allan Poe.
Putnam merged with Minton, Balch & Co. in 1930, bought Coward-McCann in 1936, the paperback house Berkley Books in 1965 and Grosset & Dunlap in 1982. MCA owned Putnam and Berkley from 1975, and under Phyllis E. Grann, editor-in-chief and later chief executive from 1976, revenue grew sharply. In 1996 it combined with Penguin as Penguin Putnam, which joined Random House in 2013.
Putnam first published Mario Puzo's The Godfather on 10 March 1969 and Delia Owens's Where the Crawdads Sing on 14 August 2018.
Holding a copy? The first edition checker shows G.P. Putnam's Sons's practice for the year on your title page.
Identification
How to identify G.P. Putnam's Sons first editions
- Before 1985 Putnam did not as a rule state a first edition. A first printing is recognised by the lack of any later-printing note on the copyright page.
- For older books, a title-page year that matches the copyright year is a good sign of a first printing.
- From 1985 Putnam books carry a number row on the copyright page.
- A number row counts printings: the lowest number left in the row gives the printing, so a row that still includes "1" points to a first printing.
- Book club copies (a general tell for US trade houses; no mark specific to this house was found): a jacket flap with no printed price is the commonest sign, though a printed price does not on its own rule out a club copy. Also look for a small blind stamp, such as a dot or square, pressed into the rear board, and for a book that is smaller and more cheaply made than the trade edition.
Authors
Books
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a G.P. Putnam's Sons first edition?
- For most of its history Putnam printed no first-edition statement: in 1947 the firm said it did not normally mark first editions on the back of the title page, and dealers confirm that older Putnam first editions carry no statement. - Putnam did note later printings under the copyright notice, so on an older Putnam book a copyright page with no printing note points to a first printing. - From 19
How many G.P. Putnam's Sons books does MyVolumes track?
We track 597 editions published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, 363 of them first editions, across 593 books.
Where these facts come from
- G. P. Putnam's Sons, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Godfather (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Where the Crawdads Sing, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- First Editions of Today and How to Tell Them (3rd edn), H. S. Boutell, Internet Archive, 1949 (archive.org)
- Identifying First Editions, Pt. 1, Independent Online Booksellers Association (ioba.org)
- Identifying first editions (updated 2024), Bev Vincent, StephenKing.com, 2024 (StephenKing.com)
- First-Edition - Identification by Publisher (Allen and Patricia Ahearn), ILAB, 2010 (ilab.org)
- First Edition Information by Publisher, Evening Land Books (eveninglandbooks.com)
- Identifying First Editions, A Primer: The Publishers, IOBA (ioba.org)
- Identifying Book Club Editions, IOBA (ioba.org)
- Identifying Book Club Editions, bookfever.com (bookfever.com)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.