# Is "A Tidewater Morning: Three Tales from Youth" by William Styron a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Tidewater Morning: Three Tales from Youth by William Styron (Random House, 1993) is identified by: US Random House first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by a number line whose lowest digit is 2. US first (Random House, 1993).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Random House first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by a number line whose lowest digit is 2
- Following Random House practice of this era, the true first carries the "First Edition" statement and a number line that does NOT contain a 1 (for example "2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3"); the presence of a 1 in the line, or the absence of the "First Edition" statement, indicates a later printing
- A slim volume of three linked autobiographical tales, issued in publisher's boards with a priced first-state dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Styron |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Random House first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by a number line whose lowest digit is 2 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Random House first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page accompanied by a number line whose lowest digit is 2. Following Random House practice of this era, the true first carries the "First Edition" statement and a number line that does NOT contain a 1 (for example "2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3"); the presence of a 1 in the line, or the absence of the "First Edition" statement, indicates a later printing. A slim volume of three linked autobiographical tales, issued in publisher's boards with a priced first-state dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US first (Random House, 1993). A UK Jonathan Cape edition also appeared in 1993; the US Random House issue is the recognized true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings retain or advance the number line while dropping the "First Edition" statement, so a copyright page lacking the stated "First Edition" or showing a 1 in the number line is not the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Tidewater Morning: Three Tales from Youth* by William Styron a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-tidewater-morning-three-tales-from-youth
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.