Random House published two separate hardbound Three Investigators editions simultaneously: the regular Trade Edition available to the public in retail shops and the Gibraltar Library Binding (GLB) Edition available to schools and libraries. There are no known Second Editions of either - all Three Investigators hardbound books are First Editions. There are several different editions of the Random House paperback Three Investigators books and not every title is a part of every edition - this will be seen later in other areas of the site as we begin to look at the different paperback editions. Quickly, an Edition of a book does not change from a First to a Second Edition until at least one of the following four things happens: a change or revision to the text of a book; a change in the binding format; a change in the text plates of a book (typeface change) or a change of publisher.
An Edition can consist of one or more Printings. A printing is a batch or a "run" of a set number of copies of a given title. For example, a publisher may choose to print 10,000 copies of a title and try to sell or distribute them before printing up another run (a second printing, a third printing, etc.). This cycle continues until a new edition or a Second Edition is created or the book simply goes out of print.
Since all Random House Three Investigators hardbound books are First Editions, collectors are generally most interested in obtaining the earliest Printing of each title. Unfortunately, publishers of children's series books seldom included Edition or Printing information within the books and so collectors of these books have had to do some of their own investigative work to determine if a given book is an earlier or a later printing. And this is true with the first twenty titles in The Three Investigators series as well.
Fortunately, starting with title #21 "Haunted Mirror", Random House began including a number-line on the copyright page of both the Trade Edition and the GLB Edition. For a First Printing the number-line will read 1234567890, a Second Printing will read 234567890, a Third Printing will read 34567890 and so on. In general, First Printings are more highly sought after by collectors than are later printings. With the exception of the Windward paperback edition, all of the paperback editions of The Three Investigators contain a number-line.
Because Random House hardbound Three Investigators titles #1 - #20 do not have a number-line indicating the printing on the copyright page, it can be difficult to accurately determine if one has a First or a Second or an Eighth Printing of any of these first 20 titles. However, by using the following information shared futher below and by ferreting out the clues found in or on the books themselves, collectors can easily determine if a book is an earlier or a later printing. And, directly below, for those who want to take a quick short-cut, is a list of the first 20 titles in the hardbound Trade Edition with the number of titles listed on the back cover along with the bare minimum of additional necessary information which will help you easily and accurately identify what is regarded to be the true First Printing:
(Important: This information applies only to the TRADE Edition, not the GLB Edition!)
#1 Terror Castle - No Titles Listed, text error on page 47, uncut endpapers, stitched textblock.
#2 Stuttering Parrot - No Titles Listed, No Author Credit, Illustrations Incorrectly Credited to Ed Vebell.
#3 Whispering Mummy - No Titles Listed
#4 Green Ghost - No Titles Listed
#5 Vanishing Treasure - Lists to #6
#6 Skeleton Island - Lists to #6
#7 Fiery Eye - Lists to #8
#8 Silver Spider - Lists to #8
#9 Screaming Clock - Lists to #10
#10 Moaning Cave - Lists to #10
#11 Talking Skull - Lists to #12
#12 Laughing Shadow - Lists to #12
#13 Crooked Cat - Lists to #14 (No ISBN on back cover)
#14 Coughing Dragon - Lists to #14 (No ISBN on back cover)
#15 Flaming Footprints - Lists to #16 (No "summary" on the copyright page)
#16 Nervous Lion - Lists to #16 (No "summary" on the copyright page)
#17 Singing Serpent - Lists to #16
#18 Shrinking House - Lists to #16
#19 Phantom Lake - Lists to #20 on back cover and lists only #'s 17 - 20 on the inside.
#20 Monster Mountain - Lists to #20
**If your book lists more titles on the back cover than you see on this chart, you definitely do NOT have a First Printing. Please note that First Printings of #17 and #18 do actually list only to #16 on the back covers and are NOT rare variations as some unscrupulous sellers may lead you to believe.
With few exceptions, new titles in The Three Investigators series were issued in pairs once every year, usually in August through October in time for the new school year and Christmas. When they were first published, the first four books did not have a title list on the back cover but beginning in approximately early 1966, each hardbound Trade Edition Three Investigators book included a list of all available titles (four, at that time) printed on the back cover. In late 1966, two new titles were published (#5 and #6) and they listed six titles on the back cover - and when the first four titles went through a print run in late 1966/early 1967, their back covers were updated to include all six available titles in the series. Continuing, a book manufactured or printed in late 1967/early 1968 will list eight titles on the back cover while a book printed in late 1968/early 1969 will list ten titles on the back cover, etc.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, in 1964 and 1965 Random House did not list titles on the back covers, thus, books #1 - #4 can be found with no list of titles and these are all very early printings. Both #1 "Terror Castle" and #2 "Stuttering Parrot" each had at least two print runs before a list was added to the back cover. A collector must be very observant to catch the differences between these two early printings for both books as detailed next..
The very earliest or First Printing of "Terror Castle" has no title list on the back cover, contains a text error on page 47 (just over half way down the page, two lines of text have been switched), the endpapers are UNCUT (not sliced in the middle at the inside hinges of the book) and the textblock consists of 6 signatures STITCHED together. Second Printings of "Terror Castle" also have no title list on the back cover BUT the error on page 47 has been corrected, the endpapers are CUT into two halves and the textblock is glued at the spine.
The text error (highlighted in bold red) on page 47 of true First Printings of "Terror Castle" reads as follows:
"I'm afraid you're wrong," Jupiter said. "It's
definitely a painted eye. But we'll go closer and see."
ing, followed. Now they were both shining their lights
He walked toward the picture, and Pete, after hesitat-
on the picture, and Pete could see that Jupiter was
right --- it was a painted eye.
The true First Printing of "Stuttering Parrot" has no title list on the back cover and has full wrap-around cover art (later printings, for unknown reasons, have a bright yellow spine). There are two errors on the title page: the author of the book is not mentioned and Ed Vebell is incorrectly credited with the internal illustrations (although Mr. Vebell did paint the cover artwork for this book). In addition, true First Printings will exhibit UNCUT endpapers (a solid, two-page sheet that hasn't been split down the middle where the textblock meets the covers) and the textblock consists of 6 signatures STITCHED together. Second Printings of "Stuttering Parrot" also have no title list on the back cover and have full wrap-around cover art BUT the errors on the title page have been fixed (Robert Arthur is credited as the author and Harry Kane is correctly credited with the internal illustrations), the endpapers are CUT into two halves and the textblock is GLUED at the spine.
Titles #3 and #4 are somewhat more difficult to find with no titles on the back cover and they are true First Printings. Titles #3 and #4 which list four titles on the back cover are most assuredly Second Printings from early 1966 which were printed before the release of titles #5 and #6 later that same year.
True First Printings of titles #5 and #6 will list six titles on the back cover, #7 and #8 will list eight titles on the back cover, #9 and #10 will list ten titles on the back cover and #11 and #12 will list twelve titles on the back cover.
True First Printings of titles #13 and #14 will list fourteen titles on the back cover and will NOT have an ISBN on the back cover (or the copyright page). If the book has an ISBN, then you have a Second or Later Printing.
True First Printings of titles #15 and #16 will list sixteen titles on the back cover and will NOT include a summary of the book on the copyright page. If the book has a summary of the plot, then the book is a Second or Later Printing.
True First Printings of titles #17 and #18 will list just sixteen titles on the back cover. Books listing 18 or more titles are Second or Later Printings.
Finally, True First Printings of titles #19 and #20 will list twenty titles on the back cover BUT, for #19 "Phantom Lake", you will also need to look at the list of titles contained inside the book (usually found on the second to last page of the book). If the inside title list contains just four titles, #17 - #20, the book is a True First Printing. If it contains all 20 titles then it is a Second Printing.
This information is subject to change based on new findings. For example, up until March of 2007 all copies of "Terror Castle" that didn't list any titles on the rear cover were considered to be true First Printings. We now know differently. If you have any new information to add or just need to ask some questions about the books you have, please don't hesitate to contact me.
