# Is "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" by Peter Matthiessen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen (Random House, 1965) is identified by: True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First Edition' on the first printing and drops it on later printings (the '2'-terminating/-beginning number line is the same house lineage). US Random House 1965 is the true first and the collected edition (a National Book Award for Fiction finalist).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First Edition' on the first printing and drops it on later printings (the '2'-terminating/-beginning number line is the same house lineage)
- Bound in quarter black cloth over beige cloth/boards with a gilt device to the front board, gilt spine lettering, and an orange (orange-red) top-stain; pagination [10], 1-373, [1]. Priced dust jacket with the price present at the front flap; jacket design attributed to Guy Fleming in one dealer record
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Matthiessen |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first published by Random House, New York, 1965, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page — Random House states 'First Edition' on the first printing and drops it on later printings (the '2'-terminating/-beginning number line is the same house lineage). Bound in quarter black cloth over beige cloth/boards with a gilt device to the front board, gilt spine lettering, and an orange (orange-red) top-stain; pagination [10], 1-373, [1]. Priced dust jacket with the price present at the front flap; jacket design attributed to Guy Fleming in one dealer record.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House 1965 is the true first and the collected edition (a National Book Award for Fiction finalist). The census note of a 'UK Heinemann 1966' could not be independently confirmed in this pass and should be treated as unverified; the US-first identification and its points are not in doubt.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No title-specific book-club issue was independently documented here. As a general caution for 1960s Random House titles, book-club copies typically lack the stated 'First Edition' and a flap price and often bear a blind stamp to the rear board — confirm the copyright statement and top-stain before attributing a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *At Play in the Fields of the Lord* by Peter Matthiessen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/at-play-in-the-fields-of-the-lord
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.