9 William Styron first editions are documented on this shelf, from Lie Down in Darkness (1951) to A Tidewater Morning: Three Tales from Youth (1993) across 4 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that William Styron 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 William Styron copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- Lie Down in Darkness — 1951 · The Bobbs-Merrill CompanyBobbs-Merrill bow-tie/torch colophon on the copyright page with no later-printing notation. Tan cloth stamped in gold, with title and author on both spine and front board. First-issue dust jacket designed by George Salter, priced 3.50 on the front flap. Author's first novel. US (Bobbs-Merrill) is the true first; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1952) follows. Confirm the absence of any later-printing line. Book club edition lacks the publisher's colophon points, is often smaller, and carries a blind stamp.
- The Long March — 1952 · The Modern LibraryThe true first is the Modern Library paperback original of 1952, catalog number P22, with its printed price on the cover. This is a paperback original and is the actual first book appearance. The novella had appeared in the magazine Discovery in 1952. True first book appearance is the 1952 Modern Library paperback original (P22). No US hardcover appeared for many years afterward. The record's earlier framing (a 1961 Vintage V-159 paperback original or a 1956 hardcover as the true first) is incorrect. No book club edition is the issue here; the point of issue is recognizing the 1952 Modern Library paperback original as the true first, identified by the P22 designation and the printed price.
- Set This House on Fire — 1960 · Random House"First Printing" is stated on the copyright page per Random House convention of the period (no number line). The binding is black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, red, and white, the top edges tinted red; the volume runs 507 pages. The scarce first-issue dust jacket is light green with red lettering and carries its printed price on the front flap. US (Random House) is the true first; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1961) follows. Book club edition is blind-stamped, lacks the printed flap price, and lacks the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page.
- The Confessions of Nat Turner — 1967 · Random HouseRandom House first edition has First Edition stated on the copyright page (Random House of this era used the statement without a number line), in first-issue cloth and jacket bearing the printed price with a the printed price dating code on the front flap. A separate signed limited edition also exists. Won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The US Random House 1967 trade printing is the first edition; a signed limited issue was produced separately and precedes the trade as a special issue. Book-club copies lack the First Edition statement, carry a rear-board blind-stamp, and have an unpriced or clipped jacket. Book-club copies are very common.
- In the Clap Shack — 1973 · Random House"First Edition" stated on the copyright page; this is Styron's only published play, about 96 pages, octavo. Bound in quarter black cloth over orange paper-covered boards, the black spine lettered in the contrasting orange scheme, and illustrated with photographs from the stage production. Issued in hardcover with a printed dust jacket that should retain its price on the flap; jackets are frequently found…. US first; first-thus as Styron's sole work for the stage. The play premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre. No book-club edition issue point affecting the true first; later printings omit the "First Edition" statement from the copyright page.
- Sophie's Choice — 1979 · Random HouseCopyright page states 'First Trade Edition' (not 'First Edition') with a Random House number line ending in 2 — i.e. '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2', the descending 2 being Random House's first-printing indicator of the period; the copyright page also notes that a limited edition was privately printed. Maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering and the author's facsimile signature stamped in gilt on the front board; orange…. The US Random House trade hardcover (1979) is the standard collected first; it won the National Book Award for Fiction announced in 1980. A signed limited edition was privately printed ahead of the trade issue, and the Franklin Library issued a separate signed 'First Edition' the same year — both precede or parallel the trade and should not be conflated with it. The Book-of-the-Month Club edition is smaller, blind-stamped on the rear board, with a jacket that lacks a printed price and is marked as a book-club issue.
- This Quiet Dust and Other Writings — 1982 · Random House"First Edition" stated on the copyright page; a collected gathering of Styron's essays and occasional writings. A separately bound signed limited edition of 250 copies was also issued alongside the trade first printing. US first; first-thus as Styron's first nonfiction collection. Both the trade issue and the numbered, signed limited issue are first-printing states. Later printings revise the copyright-page statement; distinguish the trade issue from the signed limited issue of 250 copies.
- Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness — 1990 · Random HouseRandom House, New York, first published August 1990. Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' with Random House's odd/even split number line, the low numbers (including 1) present on the first printing. Quarter maroon cloth over maroon paper boards with silver lettering to the front board and spine; approximately 84 pages. First-issue dust jacket designed by Steven Snider, with the printed price present on the front…. US first (Random House, 1990); the UK edition (Jonathan Cape, 1991) follows. Later printings drop 'FIRST EDITION' and advance the number line off the low numbers. No significant book-club issue is the usual hazard here; verify the stated 'FIRST EDITION' with the 1 present in the number line and the Steven Snider jacket.
- A Tidewater Morning: Three Tales from Youth — 1993 · Random HouseUS 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…. US first (Random House, 1993). A UK Jonathan Cape edition also appeared in 1993; the US Random House issue is the recognized true first. 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.
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