Signed First Editions Club

Build your personal library of important new fiction—or gift a subscription to a book lover in your life with our Signed First Editions Club. Subscribers receive a new hardcover collectible first edition signed by the author. Our staff selects the best new books to be shipped to your door or picked up at our store every 4-6 weeks.

Our current selection is James by Percival Everett.

View a list of previous selections here >

Three ways to subscribe:

Get your first book immediately for only $30. After that your card will be charged the retail price of each book plus applicable tax/shipping. Ongoing Subscriptions are indefinite, so if you ever want to skip a book or take a break, let us know. Subscribe now >

After a flat one-time charge of $195, subscribers receive our next six selections for the Signed First Editions Club starting immediately with the current book. Shipping and tax included. Subscribe now >

After a flat one-time charge of $375, subscribers receive our next twelve selections for the Signed First Editions Club starting immediately with the current book. Shipping and tax included. Subscribe now >

Frequently Asked Question

What is the Signed First Editions Club?

We love handing our favorite books to customers in the store; it’s one of the pleasures of bookselling. We created the Signed First Editions Club for anyone looking to build a personal library of the best new fiction picked by our staff – one book at a time. Conceived and curated by ardent readers and devoted collectors, the Signed First Editions Club is a subscription to compelling work of great literary merit.

What is a signed first edition? Why is it collectible?

First editions (or, more accurately, first printings) are from the original, limited print run of the book upon its release. First editions are collectible because they represent a single work in its most original version. Subsequent printings might be affected by added or deleted content, modified cover art, or different binding. First editions signed by the author multiply that value because the book was handled and autographed by the author, a singular event that results in a finite number of copies.

Who picks the books?

Our staff of dedicated booksellers works hard to select books and authors of enduring quality and exciting promise. We read upcoming releases several months in advance and make selections based on overall quality, media buzz, awards consideration, author profile, and unique design. Subscribers can expect that each book has been read and personally recommended by a bookseller at our store. Our booksellers are collectors as well as readers, so all shipments are packaged carefully in a box to ensure the arrival of a pristine copy.

How do authors sign the books?

Many books selected for the Signed First Editions Club are also part of our events programming, so authors may sign copies when they come to the store for their event.  Other authors may stop by just to sign our stock. Occasionally books may be signed at the publisher's office or even at the author's home before being shipped to the store. Increasingly in recent years, some selections might be signed by the author on a tip-in page bound by the publisher.

Is the club only for fiction readers?

Subscribers will receive a new adult hardcover fiction selection every 4-6 weeks. Around once or twice a year, we may select a literary memoir or work of narrative history that’s just so damn good it will appeal to all readers anyway.

What if I don’t like this month’s book?

We only pick books we would personally recommend, so we urge subscribers to trust us with every selection! However one selection per six months may be exchanged under Charter Books’ normal return policy. There are no refunds – only exchanges. Exchanges will be for the value of the retail price of the book. Replacement titles are not guaranteed to be signed first editions. We publicize our Signed First Editions Club selections in our weekly newsletter and on social media before shipping to subscribers, so let us know before shipment if you intend to exchange.