# Is "Capitalism and Freedom" by Milton Friedman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman (University of Chicago Press, 1962) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the front board and spine, with a blue topstain. Census claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the front board and spine, with a blue topstain
- The University of Chicago Press used no number line on this title, so the first printing is identified negatively: the copyright page shows the 1962 date with no reference to any later printing or impression — any added printing statement demotes the copy
- The title page reads 'with the assistance of Rose D. Friedman', and she is credited on the title page rather than as a co-author on the binding
- The jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap; an unclipped flap is the desired state
- Publisher imprint reads University of Chicago Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Milton Friedman |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1962; octavo, viii, 202 pp., bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the front board and spine, with a blue topstain. The University of Chicago Press used no number line on this title, so the first printing is identified negatively: the copyright page shows the 1962 date with no reference to any later printing or impression — any added printing statement demotes the copy. The title page reads 'with the assistance of Rose D. Friedman', and she is credited on the title page rather than as a co-author on the binding. The jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap; an unclipped flap is the desired state.

## Is this the true first?
Census claim confirmed. This is a US-only first with no competing UK or original-language precedence: the book was written in English and first published by the University of Chicago Press in 1962. There is no earlier or simultaneous British edition to complicate priority, so the 1962 Chicago printing in jacket is the single collected first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented for this title, and none of the consulted dealer or reference sources record a club edition — absence of a blind-stamp or club dot on the rear board is therefore not a usable test here. The practical reprint tell remains the copyright page: Chicago reprinted the book steadily and later impressions state the printing. The 2002 Fortieth Anniversary Edition and the later edition with a Binyamin Appelbaum introduction are 'first thus' reprints of the 1962 text, not first editions, despite carrying new front matter.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Capitalism and Freedom* by Milton Friedman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/capitalism-and-freedom
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.