7 John Irving first editions are documented on this shelf, from Setting Free the Bears (1968) to A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989) across 3 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that John Irving title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.
Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a John Irving copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- Setting Free the Bears — 1968 · Random HouseRandom House first printing: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page together with a number line whose lowest number is 2 (Random House's house practice of dropping the 1 from the line on first printings). The unclipped jacket carries the printed price. Irving's first novel and his scarcest trade first edition; genuine firsts in a fine, unclipped jacket are uncommon. The US Random House edition is the true first. No UK edition appeared until after the success of Garp, so the British issue follows by roughly a decade and has no precedence. Later printings and paperbacks lack the "First Edition" statement, and the number line will not retain a 2 as its lowest figure. Confirm both the statement and the number line.
- The Water-Method Man — 1972 · Random HouseRandom House first printing: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page together with a number line whose lowest number is 2 (Random House dropped the 1 on first printings of this era). The unclipped jacket carries the printed price. Irving's second novel; scarce. The US Random House edition is the true first. Reprints omit the "First Edition" statement; the number line will not retain a 2 as its lowest figure on later printings.
- The 158-Pound Marriage — 1974 · Random HouseRandom House first printing: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page together with a number line whose lowest number is 2 (Random House dropped the 1 on first printings of this era). The unclipped jacket carries the printed price. Irving's third novel; scarce in fine state. The US Random House edition is the true first. Reprints omit the "First Edition" statement; the number line will not retain a 2 as its lowest figure on later printings.
- The World According to Garp — 1978 · E.P. DuttonFull number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' present on the copyright page; bound in gold and navy cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping and the characteristic natural toning and roughness to the page edges. The navy dust jacket, designed by Leo Manso, is printed in gold and red and carries the printed price on the front flap along with '0478' on the rear panel. The US E.P. Dutton edition (Henry Robbins, editor) is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition (1978) follows. This was Irving's fourth novel and his breakthrough, and it is scarce in fine first-state jacket. Book-of-the-Month Club editions are physically smaller, lack the number line, are blind-stamped on the rear board, and their jackets carry no printed price and no '0478' code.
- The Hotel New Hampshire — 1981 · E.P. DuttonDutton first printing: full number line present ending in 1 with no later-printing statement; the unclipped jacket carries the printed price (jacket designed by Terry Fehr). A Franklin Library signed limited edition also exists separately. The US Dutton edition is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition of 1981 follows. Book club issue: smaller, no number line, blind-stamp to the rear board, and no price printed on the jacket.
- The Cider House Rules — 1985 · William MorrowMorrow first printing: "First Trade Edition" stated on the copyright page with a full number line running down to 1; the unclipped jacket carries the printed price (jacket designed by Honi Werner). A signed limited edition was also issued. The US Morrow edition is the true first. Book club issue: smaller, no number line, blind-stamp to the rear board, and no price printed on the jacket.
- A Prayer for Owen Meany — 1989 · William MorrowUS Morrow trade first: the copyright page carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (reading down to 1) with no later-printing statement present. Thick octavo of 543 pages in publisher's cloth. The first-issue dust jacket bears cover art by Honi Werner, and the unclipped jacket carries its printed price on the front flap (the price should be present; a clipped flap is a defect but not a later-issue…. Precedence is debated. The Toronto Lester & Orpen Dennys edition (Canada, 1989) is widely cited as a legitimate first trade edition issued alongside the US Morrow trade edition, and dealers treat both as 1989 firsts. A Franklin Library signed limited edition, full leather with gilt page edges, was also issued in 1989. Collectors who want the earliest issue should weigh the Canadian Lester & Orpen Dennys edition…. Book club issue of the Morrow edition: smaller and lighter in bulk, no number line on the copyright page, a blind-stamp (small square or dot) to the rear board, and no price printed on the jacket flap. The Franklin Library leather edition is a separate signed limited, not a book-club reprint.
More Literary Fiction (US) & Award Winners shelves: John Kennedy Toole, John M. Ford, John McGahern, John O'Hara, John P. Marquand, John Steinbeck.
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