# Is "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (Random House, 1985) is identified by: Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' AND carries a Random House number line reading '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3'. US Random House, New York, 1985 first printing is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' AND carries a Random House number line reading '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3'
- Two things to hold onto: the line's lowest digit is 2 (there is NO '1'), and this is the Random House convention of the era (roughly 1970-2002) — a stated first begins/ends the line at 2, while the appearance of a '1' in the line indicates a LATER printing, not the first
- BOTH the words 'FIRST EDITION' and the 2-based number line must be present
- Binding: red paper-covered boards with a red cloth (quarter-cloth) spine, gilt spine lettering; a map of the West printed at the title page
- First-issue jacket is priced at the front flap (price present, not clipped), with McCarthy's photograph (by Mark Morrow) on the rear panel; the front panel reproduces Salvador Dalí's painting 'The Phantom Cart.' ISBN 0-394-54482-X
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Cormac McCarthy |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' AND carries a Random House number line reading '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3' |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' AND carries a Random House number line reading '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3'. Two things to hold onto: the line's lowest digit is 2 (there is NO '1'), and this is the Random House convention of the era (roughly 1970-2002) — a stated first begins/ends the line at 2, while the appearance of a '1' in the line indicates a LATER printing, not the first. BOTH the words 'FIRST EDITION' and the 2-based number line must be present. Binding: red paper-covered boards with a red cloth (quarter-cloth) spine, gilt spine lettering; a map of the West printed at the title page. First-issue jacket is priced at the front flap (price present, not clipped), with McCarthy's photograph (by Mark Morrow) on the rear panel; the front panel reproduces Salvador Dalí's painting 'The Phantom Cart.' ISBN 0-394-54482-X.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House, New York, 1985 first printing is the true first. The first UK edition (Picador, London, 1989, jacket by George Sharp) follows four years later — so US precedes UK. Signed or inscribed firsts are genuinely scarce (McCarthy signed sparingly) and are among the most-forged items in modern American book collecting, so provenance matters.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the number line, are printed on thinner/lighter bulk, typically bear a small blind-stamp (dot or square) on the rear board, and wear an unpriced jacket (no price at the flap). Keep the number-line rule in mind: a Random House TRADE printing that shows a '1' in the line is a later printing, not the first — the same trap in another guise, independent of the book-club question.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blood Meridian* by Cormac McCarthy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blood-meridian
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.