# Is "Blind Date" by Jerzy Kosinski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blind Date by Jerzy Kosinski (Houghton Mifflin, 1977) is identified by: First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page. True first is the 1977 Houghton Mifflin (Boston) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page
- Bound in black cloth with silver lettering on the spine and a blind-stamped title on the front board; issued in a printed dust jacket bearing the original price on the front flap (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth with silver lettering on the spine and a blind-stamped title on the front board; issued in a printed dust jacket bearing the original price on the front flap (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1977 Houghton Mifflin (Boston) edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club Edition exists; identify it by the absence of the number line, a blind-stamped mark on the rear board, and a jacket with no printed price on the flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blind Date* by Jerzy Kosinski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blind-date
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.