The Deep End of the Ocean

The first edition of Jacquelyn Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean went into dozens of printings. But the first printing is unique, and could prove to be collectible over the next several years. The first printing dust jacket is translucent and the boards are aquamarine with a wave pattern. With the first printing, the combination of the jacket on top of the book gives the cover its overall look. Later printings have traditional paper dust jackets, so the boards (which are very plain) do not show through. I'm sure it was less expensive to produce them this way. Here are some photos of the first edition:

The first edition of The Deep End of the Ocean

What does this all mean? We have seen time and time again that books where both the book and the dust jacket are unique in the first printing tend to rise in price more than books where the dust jacket is the same across the first and early printings. The reason? Books tend to outlive their dust jackets, and with books such as The Deep End of the Ocean, you will not be able to successfully marry a later printing jacket with a first printing book.