[header] How to tell the edition of a book [title] Look for text that states the edition of the book. [step] Sometimes, the publisher will clearly write which edition of the book you have on the bottom of the copyright page. Look for the phrase " first edition " followed by the year. 
If you're lucky, the copyright page will list the years each edition was released. [substeps] If the publisher of the book has changed since it was first released, the edition number is reset.