The points of issue
Copyright page states First trade edition / first printing (not a number line). Priced trade dust jacket. Quarter black cloth over blue boards with a facsimile author signature in gilt on the front board; red endpapers. A separate signed/numbered limited edition in a slipcase was issued, and the Franklin Library produced a signed leather edition for its Signed First Edition Society with a Special Message by Vonnegut.
Is this the true first?
True first trade edition is the 1987 Delacorte Press printing, identified by the stated first trade edition / first printing line. The Franklin Library signed leather issue was a near-simultaneous deluxe edition for subscribers and is sometimes cited as appearing slightly ahead of the trade printing; the standard collected first is the priced Delacorte trade edition. UK: Jonathan Cape, 1988.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition lacks the stated first printing and the priced jacket; identify the first by the stated first-edition line and an unclipped priced jacket.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Bluebeard a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Copyright page states First trade edition / first printing (not a number line). Priced trade dust jacket. Quarter black cloth over blue boards with a facsimile author signature in gilt on the front board; red endpapers. A separate signed/numbered limited edition in a slipcase was issued, and the Franklin Library produced a signed leather edition for its Signed First Edition Society with a Special Message by Vonnegut.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True first trade edition is the 1987 Delacorte Press printing, identified by the stated first trade edition / first printing line. The Franklin Library signed leather issue was a near-simultaneous deluxe edition for subscribers and is sometimes cited as appearing slightly ahead of the trade printing
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club edition lacks the stated first printing and the priced jacket; identify the first by the stated first-edition line and an unclipped priced jacket.
I have a first edition of Bluebeard — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.