# Is "A Hall of Mirrors" by Robert Stone a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Hall of Mirrors by Robert Stone (Houghton Mifflin, 1967) is identified by: True first edition: Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967 (the book appeared December 1966 but is dated 1967 on the copyright page); Stone's first novel, octavo, 409 pp. US Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1967 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first edition: Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967 (the book appeared December 1966 but is dated 1967 on the copyright page)
- Stone's first novel, octavo, 409 pp
- The first printing is identified by 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page — Houghton Mifflin's consistent house practice from the late 1950s through the 1960s — with the date in arabic numerals on the title page
- Binding is quarter gray cloth over black boards, lettered in black on the spine, with a blind-stamped front cover and patterned endpapers
- The first-state dust jacket carries the Wallace Stegner blurb on the front flap and a photograph of Stone holding a coffee mug on the rear panel; the jacket is priced at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Stone |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first edition: Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967 (the book appeared December 1966 but is dated 1967 on the copyright page) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first edition: Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967 (the book appeared December 1966 but is dated 1967 on the copyright page); Stone's first novel, octavo, 409 pp. The first printing is identified by 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page — Houghton Mifflin's consistent house practice from the late 1950s through the 1960s — with the date in arabic numerals on the title page. Binding is quarter gray cloth over black boards, lettered in black on the spine, with a blind-stamped front cover and patterned endpapers. The first-state dust jacket carries the Wallace Stegner blurb on the front flap and a photograph of Stone holding a coffee mug on the rear panel; the jacket is priced at the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1967 is the true first. UK first: The Bodley Head, London, 1968 (blue boards, dust jacket designed by Yvonne Skargon, a small printing) — a genuine first UK edition but subsequent to the US. The census precedence (US 1967 / UK Bodley Head 1968) is confirmed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue documented for the first printing. Beware copies lacking the 'First Printing' statement (later Houghton Mifflin printings) and later-state jackets that drop the Stegner blurb / coffee-mug author photo.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Hall of Mirrors* by Robert Stone a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-hall-of-mirrors
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.