# Is "A Theory of Justice" by John Rawls a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971) is identified by: Cloth; copyright page dated 1971 with no later-printing statement (later printings are explicitly numbered, e.g. US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1971, true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth; copyright page dated 1971 with no later-printing statement (later printings are explicitly numbered, e.g. a 1973 fifth printing); first-state dust jacket priced and unclipped
- Collation xv, 607 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Rawls |
| Publisher | Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth; copyright page dated 1971 with no later-printing statement (later printings are explicitly numbered, e.g. a 1973 fifth printing)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cloth; copyright page dated 1971 with no later-printing statement (later printings are explicitly numbered, e.g. a 1973 fifth printing); first-state dust jacket priced and unclipped. Collation xv, 607 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1971, true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Numerous later printings exist, and the 1999 revised edition is 'first thus'; the 1971 first lacks any 'revised edition' statement or later-impression line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Theory of Justice* by John Rawls a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-theory-of-justice
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.