Wrong book cover for specific ISBN

[Tamara]

To whom it may concern,

Looking to add new books to my "Want to read" list from the ones I got on my birthday, I realised the cover for The Calling of the Grave, with ISBN: 978-0-553-82065-2, is wrong.

This can be seen in the publisher's website Penguin.

If it could please be updated, I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you very much in advance.

[Albert]

An alternative cover edition (ACE) has been created. See the link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Tamara]

Albert wrote: "An alternative cover edition (ACE) has been created. See the link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..."

Thank you so much!!! 😊

Edit: The publishing date isn't technically accurate (it should be 02/02/2012), but I guess it's not too critical. 😕 (Sorry if I'm being a pain.)

[Albert]

Often we do not know the publication date for an alternate cover edition, so the system defaults to the date when the change is made. In this case, since you have a copy with that cover that show the 2/2/12 publication date, I was able to update the date on the ACE.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

That is the original publication date for this ISBN, not the one for this cover.

It definitely seems to be a recent cover change, and without more specific evidence -- not an original publication date, which tells us nothing about when this cover was made available -- I have reverted the pub date for this edition to the current month and year.

[Albert]

Makes sense. Thanks.

[Tamara]

Hi again!

Thank you both for helping with this.

I have been doing a bit of research, including reverse image search for the different covers as well as looking into WorldCat.org.

From my findings, I can say the following:

The first editions, both in paperback and hardcover, are the ISBNs mentioned here, 9780593063460 and 9780593063453 respectively. Thus, the information for these on Goodreads is correct.

However, it seems that the ISBN information for this book is mistaken. Doing a reverse search of such cover only displays a handful of results, and even the WorldCat website doesn't display it at all.

Instead, when searching for such ISBN, 9780553825596, the information displayed in both Worldcat.org and AbeBooks, for example, confirms the mistake and thus should be added instead to this edition.

Finally, the information for this edition should be amended to display the right publishing date, as can be seen in both WorldCat and AbeBooks, and as it's also mentioned in the book I own, Bantam edition published 2012.

What's more, when doing a reverse search of such cover will display results with the ISBN 9780553820652.

What I think might have happened is that the editions were published close to each other but under different publishing houses (despite all being part of Penguin), such as Transworld and Bantam. If that was the case, it is very easy that the covers weren't correct due to the final one not having been uncovered yet (pun unintended). This could also explain why this edition gives such little results and can't be found as easily.

I apologise for the whole message as I know it must feel like I'm a dog with a bone. However, if I have the book in my hand, with the aforementioned ISBN and the publishing date inside, plus all other information I've already written before, how come it is still not good enough to amend the publishing date? 😟 (Considering also that I received the book in July, August 2020 would still be inaccurate. 😅)

Thank you very much for your help and attention.

[Albert]

Tamara wrote: "Hi again!

Thank you both for helping with this.

I have been doing a bit of research, including reverse image search for the different covers as well as looking into WorldCat.org.

From my finding..."

Tamara,

Thanks for all of the research you have done and the information provided. I am going to look into the inconsistencies you have pointed out and see if I come to similar conclusions. I do want to respond to your concluding question though with some additional information. I probably should not generalize, but it is often the case that when an alternate cover is released, it is quite a bit after the publication date but the publication date in the physical book will not change. This is the same with later printings of the a book even when the cover does not change. You can have a physical book that shows the original publication date for that edition but the book was actually printed much later than that original publication date.

[lethe]

Albert wrote: "I probably should not generalize, but it is often the case that when an alternate cover is released, it is quite a bit after the publication date but the publication date in the physical book will not change. This is the same with later printings of the a book even when the cover does not change. You can have a physical book that shows the original publication date for that edition but the book was actually printed much later than that original publication date."

Traditional publishers usually provide printing info though, even if the publication date listed stays the same. But if you have a book published in 2012, 11th printing, you can be quite sure the actual publishing date was later.

If the book denotes no such things, we will have to assume the publishing date in the book itself is correct. Using an arbitrary date such as the year/month of when the ACE was added only causes confusion, especially when there are multiple ACEs. Which edition should get the ISBN? How do you know if you don't go by the publishing/printing date provided in the edition?

Tamara, would it be possible to take a photo or make a scan of the reverse title page of your copy? Or alternatively list any printing numbers or other info provided?

[Sandra]

Just as a note Tamara.

We don't use covers from Worldcat as they themselves have said they aren't accurate. Other info from them is good, covers aren't.

[Tamara]

lethe wrote: "Tamara, would it be possible to take a photo or make a scan of the reverse title page of your copy? Or alternatively list any printing numbers or other info provided?"

Sorry for the delay. I only saw this message now but had no notification in my inbox.

Here is a picture of it, hope you can see it without problems. I also could have scanned it, but most probably would have ended up cracking the spine. Unlike some people, I actually don't like doing that unless I have to due to the book's thickness. :)

Thanks Sandra also for your reply. I wasn't sure as it's really hard to find reliable information with so many resources all over the place. :-/

[lethe]

Thank you!

Your copy is the 8th printing, but I can't find an actual year of publication (other than 2012) anywhere. I solved it like this, hopefully everybody can live with it (I left change comments for fellow librarians): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Printings are not editions. And an eighth printing is unlikely to have been printed the same year as the first. There is very little evidence this cover was available before July of this year.

Pub date set to just 2020.

[lethe]

rivka wrote: "Printings are not editions. And an eighth printing is unlikely to have been printed the same year as the first. There is very little evidence this cover was available before July of this year.

Pub date set to just 2020. "

OK, but I think it is important to leave the printing information, because that is the only way we have of "dating" different covers for the same ISBNs.

Supposing a 7th printing turns up with yet a different cover, the way it is now that would erroneously get the ISBNs because it would seem a later edition.