# Is "Car" by Harry Crews a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Car by Harry Crews (William Morrow, 1972) is identified by: Original black cloth-backed sky-blue paper boards, spine lettered in blue and red-orange, with black endpapers and an illustrated dust jacket priced 5.95 on the front flap. The US William Morrow 1972 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Original black cloth-backed sky-blue paper boards, spine lettered in blue and red-orange, with black endpapers and an illustrated dust jacket priced 5.95 on the front flap
- Later collected in the omnibus 'Classic Crews'
- , which is not a first of the novel
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harry Crews |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Original black cloth-backed sky-blue paper boards, spine lettered in blue and red-orange, with black endpapers and an illustrated dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Original black cloth-backed sky-blue paper boards, spine lettered in blue and red-orange, with black endpapers and an illustrated dust jacket priced 5.95 on the front flap. Later collected in the omnibus 'Classic Crews' (1993), which is not a first of the novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow 1972 edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue: blind-stamp to the board, no price on the jacket flap. The 'Classic Crews' reader is a later reprint, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Car* by Harry Crews a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/car
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.