# Is "Beauty Beast" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Beauty Beast by MacKinlay Kantor (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968) is identified by: Putnam's Sons, 1968, about 382 pages, in black cloth with gilt lettering and a red title field to the spine; dust jacket designed by John Sposato. US Putnam edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968, about 382 pages, in black cloth with gilt lettering and a red title field to the spine; dust jacket designed by John Sposato
- A novel of slavery set on a Deep South plantation on the eve of the Civil War
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968, about 382 pages, in black cloth with gilt lettering and a red title field to the spine; dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968, about 382 pages, in black cloth with gilt lettering and a red title field to the spine; dust jacket designed by John Sposato. A novel of slavery set on a Deep South plantation on the eve of the Civil War.

## Is this the true first?
US Putnam edition is the true first. A UK edition (Michael Joseph) followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and the UK Michael Joseph issue are reprints, not the US first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Beauty Beast* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/beauty-beast
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.