Questions about editions vs. printings

[MizBookBiz@aol.com]

Hello,

I am new to the list and hope this is an appropriate topic.

I am also new to book collecting and I have some very novice questions to ask.
Any help is much appreciated, private e-mail or to the list is fine.

1. What is the difference between a first edition and a first printing, if
any?
2. How does one tell if a book is a first edition or a first printing? I have
some books that specifically state that they are first editions, but others
have simply a copyright month or month/year and nothing else, or they have the
copyright and then a numbering system that might look like:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

or

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

etc.

Thanks.

Pam
MizBookBiz@aol.com