Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions - Sixth Edition Bill McBride. Paperback 2000 Very useful little book. Publishers each have their own way of identifying the first edition (or more correctly - first printing ) of any book they produce. This little book lists most publishers and uses a simplified code system - a sample entry:

Plowshare Press NAP

Which means No Additional Printings indicated on the back of the title page. It's based on the author's years of experience handling actual first editions with a combination of publishers statements about what method they used. While not entirely foolproof, it's a very useful starting point, especially in combination with 'Points of Issue..." listed below.

Points of Issue : A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th-20th Century Authors. Bill McBride. Paperback 1996. Another pocket-sized companion to the Guide listed above, it's also very useful. This is a list of specific books which have points of issue. For example:

Ludlum, Robert. The Osterman Weekend. NY. (1972). DJ: printed acetate, priced $6.95 with A 3918 at bottom right corner of BC.

First Editions : A Guide to Identification- Edward N Zempel (Editor). Hardcover 4th Edition (November 2001). More expensive but much easier to read than the McBride books, this is a compilation of publishers statements about their methods of identifying first editions. Covers nearly 1700 trade and academic publishers in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For all bibliophiles.

Adamiak, Richard The Law Book Price Guide : a market value reference for antiquarian, out-of-print and rare law books and documents and other law-related materials Self published. 390 pages
 

Ahearn, Allen & Patricia Ahearn Author Price Guides Regular updates These are available both as individual lists, and as complete sets. Contains sample signatures, brief biographical sketches, and information on the identification of the first U.S. and U.K. editions for each author. The link is to volume 1, however there are 2 volumes in set
 

Ahearn, Allen & Patricia Ahearn Collected Books: The Guide to Values Regular revisions Putnam Publishing Group. 832 pages. A fairly massive price guide focused on modern first editions. While no price guide is perfectly accurate, the Ahearns are widely considered to be among the most knowledgeable in the field.
 

Ahearn, Allen & Patricia Ahearn Book Collecting 2000 : A Comprehensive Guide Regular revisions Putnam Publishing Group. 480 pages. Prices listed are almost exclusively for authors first books - generally the most valuable. Also has much additional material of interest to both collector and bookseller. The latest edition of the 'bible' for book collectors. A must read for the collector, a 'really should read' for the book seller. Book Collecting 2000 covers from the basics of collecting up to advanced material.
 

Allen, Colonel Bob A Guide to Collecting Cookbooks : A History of People, Companies and Cooking 1998 Collector Books. 213 pages.
 

Anna Marie Guiheen, Marie-Reine A. Pafik The Sheet Music Reference & Price Guide 1995 Collector Books. 320 pages. Contains over 13,000 listings.
 

Axe, JohnThe Secret of Collecting Girls' Series Books 2000 Hobby House Press. 112 pages
 

Barile, MaryCookbooks Worth Collecting 1993 Wallace-Homestead Book Co. 232 pages
 

Barlow, Ronald S., Ray Reynolds, Ron Barlow The Insiders Guide to Old Books Magazines Newspapers and Trade Catalogs : 21000 Items Priced by Dealers and Collectors 1995 Windmill Pub Co; 455 pages
 

Barnett, Carol Botanical and Horticultural Books A Price Guide 1991 Spoon River Press
 

Bergen, Jr., James A A Price and Reference Guide to Books Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs 1999 The Golden Lion, 604 pages
 

Breese, MartinBreese's Guide to Modern First Editions 1999 Breese Books Ltd, 304 pages.
 

Broadfoot, Tom and Julia Nichols Civil War Books: A Priced Checklist with Advice 1996 Broadfoot Pub Co
 
 

Brown, David and Virginia Brown Whitman Juvenile Books : Reference & Value Guide 1996 Collector Books. 143 pages
 

Cole, Michael (Editor) Literature (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Cole, Michael (editor) Science & Medicine (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Cole, Michael (Editor) Arts & Architecture (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Cole, Michael (Editor) Voyages, Travel & Exploration (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Cole, Michael (Editor) Modern First Editions (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Cole, Michael (Editor) Early Printed Books (Annual Register of Book Values) Annual Published in England by the Clique, this series is a good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form, but you can get the CD compilation of the entire ARBV series.
 

Collins, Richard L. (Editor) Mandeville's Used Book Price Guide : An Aid in Ascertaining Current Prices : Retail Prices of Rare, Scarce, Used and Out-Of-Print Books Regular revisions
 

Dickinson, Linda J. Price Guide to Cookbooks and Recipe Leaflets 1990 Collector Books. 190 pages. Looks to have between 1500 and 2000 listings. Prices updated in 1997.

Dusablon, Mary Anna America's Collectible Cookbooks : The History, the Politics, the Recipes 1994 Ohio Univ Press. 229 pages
 

Flacks, ErwinMaxfield Parrish: Identification & Price Guide 1998 Collectors Press. 256 pages
 

Flanagan, Maurice Paperbacks USA & UK Vol 1 1997 Zardoz Books. 44 pages
 

Fogel, AlCharles Bukowski: A Comprehensive Price-Guide & Checklist 1944-1999 1999 Glenn Daniels Publishing Corporation. 228 pages
 

George, Mark A. Price Guide of World War I and World War II Books and Manuals 19,000 price entries on more than 13,000 books.
 

Hand, Richard A. A Bookman's Guide to the Indians of the Americas: A Compilation of over 10,000 Catalogue Entries With Prices and Annotations
 

Hand, Richard A. A Bookman's Guide to Archaeology: A Compilation of over 7,000 Books Pertaining to the Scientific Study of Prehistoric and Historic People
 

Hand, Richard A. A Bookman's Guide to Hunting, Shooting, Angling,and Related Subjects: A Compilation of over 13,450 Catalog Entries With Prices and Annotations
 

Henkel, David K. Collectible Magazines - Identification and Price Guide 2000 Harper Resource. 768 pages
 

Holland, William, Douglas Congdon-Martin The Collectible Maxfield Parrish With Value Guide 1993 Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
 

Huxford, Sharon and Bob Huxford Huxford's Old Book Value Guide Annual Many lower priced items, which means that you will find prices for many of the more common titles.

Huxford, Sharon and Bob Huxford Huxford's Paperback Value Guide 1994 Collector Books