# Is "Big as Life" by E. L. Doctorow a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Big as Life by E. L. Doctorow (Simon & Schuster, 1966) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain. US-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain
- First printings carry the words 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (Simon & Schuster's 1966 practice; no number line), and the priced dust jacket carries no review blurbs (identification only, price present at the flap)
- Because Doctorow was dissatisfied with this, his second book, and never permitted it to be reprinted, effectively every copy is a first edition and the title is genuinely his scarcest — there are no authorized later printings to confuse
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E. L. Doctorow |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1966; octavo, 218 pp, bound in red cloth with gilt spine lettering and a red topstain. First printings carry the words 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page (Simon & Schuster's 1966 practice; no number line), and the priced dust jacket carries no review blurbs (identification only, price present at the flap). Because Doctorow was dissatisfied with this, his second book, and never permitted it to be reprinted, effectively every copy is a first edition and the title is genuinely his scarcest — there are no authorized later printings to confuse.

## Is this the true first?
US-only true first: Simon & Schuster (New York), 1966 is the sole authorized edition. No contemporary UK edition was published, and because the author suppressed the book there is no authorized later printing; any modern reappearance of the text is a much-later reissue, not a competing first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is documented; the defining fact is that the book was never reprinted at all, so a jacketed copy with 'FIRST PRINTING' on the copyright page is the only issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Big as Life* by E. L. Doctorow a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/big-as-life
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.