Cormac McCarthy First Editions

• The Orchard Keeper — 1965 · Random HouseMcCarthy's scarce first novel. 'First Printing' is stated on the copyright page (not 'First Edition'), with no later-printing line. Bound in green cloth shelfback over red paper-covered boards, gilt spine lettering with red decoration, the author's initials blind/gilt stamped on the front board, top edge stained green. First-issue white dust jacket with black and red lettering carries the printed price unclipped…. US Random House is the true first; the UK Andre Deutsch edition (1966) follows. Signed or inscribed copies are very scarce. No US book-club edition of consequence; later Vintage and Ecco paperbacks lack the 'First Printing' statement and are clearly reprints. Beware ex-library and price-clipped jackets passed off as firsts.
• Outer Dark — 1968 · Random HouseMcCarthy's second novel. 'First Printing' is stated on the copyright page (not 'First Edition'), with no mention of further printings; the first edition had a single printing of about 5,000 copies. Cloth binding with the printed price unclipped on the dust jacket. Scarce in jacket. US Random House is the true first; the UK Andre Deutsch edition (1970) follows. No prominent book-club edition; reprints omit the 'First Printing' statement.
• Child of God — 1973 · Random House'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page with no later-printing line. Publisher's red boards with a navy/blue cloth spine, gilt spine lettering and a blind-stamped 'CMcC' on the front board. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price unclipped; the rear panel shows the author photo and no review blurbs. US Random House is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition (1975) follows. Reprints and paperbacks (Vintage, Ecco) omit the 'First Edition' statement.
• Suttree — 1979 · Random House'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page ABOVE the publisher's number line; the first printing carries the full number line ending in 2 (Random House's convention of the 1970s-the printed price for a first printing), so the absence of a number line is NOT the point. Light yellow boards with a black cloth spine, gilt spine lettering, octavo, 471 pages. First-issue dust jacket designed by Jack Ribik with the…. US Random House is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition (1980) follows. No major book-club edition; later Vintage printings lack the 'First Edition' line and the number line ending in 2.
• Blood Meridian — 1985 · Random HouseCopyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' AND carries a Random House number line reading '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3'. Two things to hold onto: the line's lowest digit is 2 (there is NO '1'), and this is the Random House convention of the era (roughly 1970-2002) — a stated first begins/ends the line at 2, while the appearance of a '1' in the line indicates a LATER printing, not the first. BOTH the words 'FIRST EDITION' and the…. US Random House, New York, 1985 first printing is the true first. The first UK edition (Picador, London, 1989, jacket by George Sharp) follows four years later — so US precedes UK. Signed or inscribed firsts are genuinely scarce (McCarthy signed sparingly) and are among the most-forged items in modern American book collecting, so provenance matters. Book-club editions lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the number line, are printed on thinner/lighter bulk, typically bear a small blind-stamp (dot or square) on the rear board, and wear an unpriced jacket (no price at the flap). Keep the number-line rule in mind: a Random House TRADE printing that shows a '1' in the line is a later printing, not the first — the same trap in another guise, independent of the….
• Blood Meridian signed first — 1985 · Random HouseUS Random House, 1985. First Edition is stated on the copyright page above the Random House number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3, with the ISBN string 394-54482-X appearing at the lower right of the rear jacket panel. The book is octavo, roughly 337 pages, quarter-bound in red cloth over paper-covered boards with the spine lettered in gilt. The first-state dust jacket reproduces Salvador Dali's 'The Phantom Cart' on the…. US Random House, 1985, is the true first edition; there is no earlier printing to precede it. Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Convention has been consistent since 1976, making Random House among the easiest American houses to authenticate. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.
• All the Pretty Horses — 1992 · Alfred A. KnopfThe true first edition of All the Pretty Horses is the Alfred A. Knopf hardcover of 1992 (Volume I of the Border Trilogy), with First Edition stated on the copyright page above the Borzoi colophon. It is bound in black cloth-backed black paper boards with the spine lettered in silver and the author's initials stamped in silver on the front cover, the fore edge untrimmed; many copies show a green stain to the top…. US Knopf (1992) is the true first—Volume One of the Border Trilogy and McCarthy's breakthrough (National Book Award). The number line ending in '1' plus 'First Edition' is decisive. Signed first printings carry strong premiums. Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. The Borzoi colophon and “A Note on the Type” page authenticate genuine Knopf production rather than a book-club reprint; a genuine first also states First Edition with no later number line. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.
• The Crossing — 1994 · Alfred A. Knopf'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. Black boards with gilt spine and cover lettering, deckled fore-edge, red top stain; octavo, 426 pp. Dust jacket (designed by Chip Kidd, sepia cattle-skull photograph) carries the printed price. The US Knopf 1994 edition is the true first, Volume Two of the Border Trilogy. A signed limited issue of 1,000 copies 'for friends of the author and publisher' has a publisher's inserted signed/limitation leaf. The UK Picador edition is a separate first. There is no mass book-club edition diluting the first. The trade first is identified by the stated 'First Edition,' the priced jacket, and the Knopf binding; later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement.
• The Stonemason (play) — 1994 · The Ecco PressTrade first is the hardcover: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page with no further printings noted; quarter black cloth over grey paper-covered boards, title in silver on spine, in dust jacket. Trade run about 7,500 copies. A separate signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies was issued in publisher's boards with a slipcase and no jacket. An Ecco softcover first printing (full number line) also…. Ecco US hardcover is the true first; McCarthy's first published drama. No book-club edition of note. Later printings drop the stated "First Edition" line.
• The Stonemason: A Play in Five Acts — 1994 · Ecco PressThe Ecco Press, 1994 (ISBN 0880013591), 133 pp. First edition/first printing has a number line descending to 1. Trade hardcover in dust jacket is the preferred issue; a signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies also exists. US Ecco Press first edition is the true first; the hardcover is preferred over the simultaneous trade paperback. No book-club edition.
• The Gardener's Son (screenplay) — 1996 · Ecco PressFirst book publication by The Ecco Press, Hopewell NJ, 1996 (ISBN 0880014814): trade hardcover in dust jacket. A signed limited issue of 350 numbered copies, specially bound in cloth with a matching slipcase and issued without dust jacket, is the premium collectible state. First book publication is the 1996 Ecco Press edition; the signed/numbered limited issue of 350 copies is the premium issue and is also an Ecco Press publication. No book-club edition.
• Cities of the Plain — 1998 · Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, New York, 1998; octavo, about 292 pages. 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon, with no later-printing statement. Bound in half black cloth over black paper-covered boards, the author's initials stamped in gilt on the front board, with a bright red top-stain and deckled fore-edges. The first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap.…. The US Knopf 1998 trade edition is the true first appearance. A signed, numbered limited edition (with a smaller deluxe issue) was published separately by B.E. Trice Publishing; the UK Picador edition is a distinct first. For the trade first, confirm the stated 'First Edition,' the gilt initials, red top-stain, and deckled edges. Identified by the stated 'First Edition' plus the priced first-issue jacket; later printings remove the 'First Edition' statement. No diluting book-club edition of note.
• No Country for Old Men — 2005 · Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, New York, 2005, octavo, 309 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. First-issue dust jacket was designed by Chip Kidd and carries the printed price on the front flap, with only six blurbs on the rear panel — a first-state jacket predating any film tie-in. Black hardcover boards with the title on the spine. The US Knopf 2005 edition is the true first; later basis for the Coen Brothers film. The UK Picador and movie-tie-in editions are later. Distinguished by the stated 'First Edition,' the Chip Kidd-designed priced first-issue jacket with six rear-panel blurbs and no film imagery; later printings drop the statement.
• The Road — 2006 · Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, New York, 2006. The first printing is identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (with no later printing indicated) and '2006' at the foot of the title page; later printings remove the 'First Edition' statement. Binding is rust/red cloth with a black spine, and the Borzoi colophon is blind-stamped on the rear board (normal on all trade firsts). The first-issue dust jacket is a…. US Knopf 2006 first printing is the true first. The first UK edition (Picador, 2006) appeared shortly after and does not precede it. McCarthy signed sparingly, so signed firsts are scarce and frequently forged. The Oprah's Book Club printings followed the 2007 selection and are not the first issue. The real trap is the book-club edition, which can resemble a first. Tells of a book-club copy: an UNPRICED dust jacket (the trade first's jacket has the price printed at the flap) and a small blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board — not to be confused with the Borzoi colophon blindstamp, which is present on the genuine trade first. Oprah printings carry a printed Oprah seal on the jacket; later trade….
• The Road signed first — 2006 · KnopfThe true first edition of The Road is the Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2006 trade hardcover. Confirm the first printing by a complete Knopf number line on the copyright page terminating in 1, alongside the Borzoi colophon. The book runs to 241 pages and is bound in black and orange paper-covered boards with metallic copper stamping to the spine. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Chip Kidd; the printed…. The US Knopf 2006 trade hardcover is the true first edition; the UK Picador edition followed. There was no signed limited issue from the publisher, so a signed copy is simply a trade first that was later signed. Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition. A first-printing Knopf number line ending in 1, the Borzoi colophon, and a jacket bearing the printed price with the 10/2006 code together authenticate genuine trade production rather than a club reprint, which is typically thinner in the boards, lacks a printed jacket price, and often carries a blind board indent. See….
• The Sunset Limited (play) — 2006 · VintageTrade paperback original, subtitled "A Novel in Dramatic Form," in glossy pictorial card wrappers. First printing carries the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. No preceding hardcover trade edition. The Vintage paperback original is the true first; there was no earlier hardcover. No book-club edition. Later printings show a number line not ending in 1.
• The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form — 2006 · VintageVintage International trade paperback original with glossy pictorial wrappers; copyright page carries a number line descending to 1 (first printing). Issued 2006 simultaneously with the Vintage release of The Road. US Vintage International trade paperback original is the true first; there was no prior hardcover. No book-club edition.
• Stella Maris — 2022 · Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, published December 6, 2022. The copyright page states 'First Edition' with the printer's key ending in 1 and reads 'Manufactured in Canada.' Bound in red cloth over boards with a gilt-lettered spine. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Chip Kidd with white lettering; the front flap carries the printed retail price (which should be present and unclipped) and the back flap bears the dating…. US Knopf first edition is the true first; a near-simultaneous UK Picador edition also appeared in 2022, identified by its own imprint rather than by precedence. No notable book-club edition; identify the first by the stated 'First Edition,' the number line ending in 1, and the Chip Kidd jacket with its 12/2022 flap code.
• The Passenger — 2022 · Alfred A. KnopfFirst printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page. Bound in blue cloth over boards with a gilt-lettered spine, in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price. Companion to Stella Maris; a signed limited boxed set of both titles was also issued (ISBN 9780307268990). US Knopf first edition; a near-simultaneous UK Picador edition appeared in 2022. No notable book-club edition.

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