A book can be a first edition without being the first run of print. Errors if caught are corrected, making everything printed up and until that point referred to as the “first state”. Anything printed after this is still considered a first edition, but a second state, first edition. Any further corrections during the first printing run would be considered a third state, first edition, and so on. To determine what state a book is, experts look at a book’s points of issue which include its price point and the flap copy which is commonly referred to as the “blurb”, written upon the inner folds of the dust jacket. These dual points of issue tend to change over time, which is why they are indicative of which state a publication is, and whether or not it’s a true first edition