I have an eighth edition of Ion Idriess' Prospecting for Gold which clearly states on the title page and verso, 1943. The ninth edition is 1946. The 1954 (tenth?) edition states on the verso:
First published February 1931. Revised edition March 1931, April 1931. Reprinted 1932 1933 1934 1936 1939 1944 1946 1954.
So, what happened to 1943? I suspect that the book though ready at the end of 1943, was actually printed and published in 1944, perhaps held up by war-time restrictions (e.g., the availability of paper). So the date was retained as 1943, even though it was printed the next year (Feain and Aroney, Ion Idriess: An Annotated and Illustrated Bibliography, state the publishing date as January 1944). If there was a 1943 and a 1944 edition, the editions would not align: 1939 is the seventh, 1936 is the sixth, 1934 is the fifth, 1933 the fourth and 1932 the third. It is interesting that Feain and Aroney give two 1934 editions (January and August) and no 1933 edition; so again, the 1933 fourth edition may actually have been printed/published in early January 1934. 1931 is an interesting year. The third edition, March 1932, states:
First edition, March 1931 . . . 2000 copies.
Second edition, April 1931 . . . 2000 copies.
Third edition, March 1932 . . . 2000 copies.
My 5th edition has these years, but doesn't have the months. Feain and Aroney note a February 1931 edition (2000 copies) and an April 2000 edition (2000 copies). The bibliography from this site states:
1st ed 1st printing Feb 1931 2000 copies.
1st ed second printing March 1931, 2000 copies.
2nd ed April 1931, 2000 copies.
3rd ed March 1932, 2000 copies.
So which are the first and second editions? It is apparent that the third edition is not quite right in what it suggests is the first edition: and that the first edition was in February 1931. It then seems that there was a Revised (or Enlarged) second edition in March, 1931, followed by a second printing or impression in April 1931 of the revised edition (as per the dates in the 1954 edition). So when the third edition says the First edition was March 1931, perhaps the meaning was First Revised edition was in March. Others may have a different take on these dates and editions.
Collectors of Idriess will note that there is a certain lack of uniformity and consistency by Angus and Robertson in the way many editions are delineated (or not!) and that that adds to the fun (and frustration) of collecting Idriess). 😀🤔
Yes, that makes sense, Clive, in regard to the first edition. So the first edition was actually March (and so is in agreement with what the third edition states). But was the second edition then also March, or April (as the 3rd edition states)? Or were there two editions (or an edition and a reprint?), one in March, another in April, as the 8th edition suggests (but as noted, the 8th edition clearly has the year 1943, but later editions state it was 1944 - so inconsistency is rampant!)?
There is another piece of evidence and that is that the Introduction by F. S. Mance was added to later and this addition was dated 7 March, 1932. It is in the 5th edition (and later editions, like the 8th) and was presumably added in 1932 to the third edition (a copy of which I do not have). Here Mr Mance states:
"Since the foregoing was written three editions of Prospecting for Gold have been called for, an indication of the deserved appreciation with which this work of Mr Ion L Idriess has been received."
It could mean three further editions, after the first edition, have been called for. But most likely it means that three editions (this 1932 edition being the third) have been called for. So first three editions: March 1931; late March (or April) 1931; March 1932. And perhaps the second (enlarged?) and third (revised?) editions were actually proper editions and not just reprints, with added or altered material. F. S. Mance goes on, after the quote above, to note:
"The added chapters on Reefing, Battery Work, Amalgamation, Cyaniding, and the search for Opals, are as instructive and prepared in the same informative way as the other chapters."
So the third edition has this added material and perhaps the second had some also (I do not have a second to check: perhaps others will know?).
Thanks for posting this - I have always had trouble understanding the first few versions on this particular title.
It doesn't help that A&R were inconsistent in their method of versioning. A reprint should mean that more copies are being printed without any major changes. A new edition should mean new material is added or other substantial changes. A&R appear to have ignored this!
With regards to Prospecting For Gold, I was sure that the First edition was published in Feb 1931. My initial thoughts appeared to be backed up by Ross Burnet's Idriess Bibliography, but despite an immense amount of work, there are some understandable errors. They were further backed up by an erroneous entry in Beverley Ely's book.
Then I realised that everyone thought it was February because the introduction is signed by F.S. Mance, the undersecretary for mines, on 18th February 1931. However, the book was not published until March 1931.
The Second Edition (enlarged) is also March 1931 despite what is says in the 3rd edition. The Third edition (revised edition) is March 1932, the fourth 1933, and the fifth 1934.