# Is "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (Random House, 1966) is identified by: First separate book edition of the story. First separate trade book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First separate book edition of the story
- The desirable issue is the signed limited edition of 600 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, printed on special paper and specially bound in green cloth with gilt lettering, with clear acetate jacket and housed in the publisher's red card slipcase bearing the photographic label of the child Capote with Nanny Faulk
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Truman Capote |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First separate book edition of the story |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First separate book edition of the story. The desirable issue is the signed limited edition of 600 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, printed on special paper and specially bound in green cloth with gilt lettering, with clear acetate jacket and housed in the publisher's red card slipcase bearing the photographic label of the child Capote with Nanny Faulk.

## Is this the true first?
First separate trade book edition. The story first appeared in Mademoiselle (December 1956); a privately printed leaflet of the period is the earliest separate appearance. For the published book, the 1966 Random House edition is the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is a primary concern; the signed/numbered limited issue with intact slipcase and acetate is the premium state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Christmas Memory* by Truman Capote a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-christmas-memory
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.