# Is "A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories" by Will Eisner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner (Baronet Books, 1978) is identified by: First edition, Baronet Publishing/Baronet Books, New York, October 1978, stating 'First printing, October 1978.' Issued in two simultaneous formats: a hardcover and a trade softcover. US true first and a foundational graphic-novel landmark.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Baronet Publishing/Baronet Books, New York, October 1978, stating 'First printing, October 1978.' Issued in two simultaneous formats: a hardcover and a trade softcover
- The hardcover was a limited issue of 1,500 copies, signed and numbered by Eisner on the front free endpaper, bound in cloth with gilt stamping and issued WITHOUT a dust jacket
- The softcover was issued in illustrated wraps and is the more commonly encountered first issue
- Widely credited with popularizing the term 'graphic novel.'
- Correct publisher/imprint: Baronet Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Eisner |
| Publisher | Baronet Books |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First edition, Baronet Publishing/Baronet Books, New York, October 1978, stating 'First printing, October 1978.' Issued in two simultaneous… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Baronet Publishing/Baronet Books, New York, October 1978, stating 'First printing, October 1978.' Issued in two simultaneous formats: a hardcover and a trade softcover. The hardcover was a limited issue of 1,500 copies, signed and numbered by Eisner on the front free endpaper, bound in cloth with gilt stamping and issued WITHOUT a dust jacket. The softcover was issued in illustrated wraps and is the more commonly encountered first issue. Widely credited with popularizing the term 'graphic novel.'

## Is this the true first?
US true first and a foundational graphic-novel landmark. The signed and numbered hardcover (1,500 copies, no jacket) and the simultaneous trade softcover are both first edition. Later Kitchen Sink, DC, and W.W. Norton editions are first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later Kitchen Sink (1985 onward), DC, and W.W. Norton (2006) printings come well after the 1978 Baronet first. Verify the Baronet imprint, the October 1978 date, and for the hardcover the signed and numbered limitation. Do not expect a dust jacket on the hardcover; none was issued.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories* by Will Eisner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-contract-with-god-and-other-tenement-stories
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.