# Is "Castaway" by James Gould Cozzens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Castaway by James Gould Cozzens (Random House, 1934) is identified by: First edition, New York: Random House, 1934, in small octavo format. US first (Random House, 1934).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, New York: Random House, 1934, in small octavo format
- Black cloth stamped in silver, dark green top stain, about 181 pages
- Bruccoli A9
- The dust jacket's rear panel lists books by six Random House authors, as called for
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Gould Cozzens |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, New York: Random House, 1934, in small octavo format |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, New York: Random House, 1934, in small octavo format. Black cloth stamped in silver, dark green top stain, about 181 pages. Bruccoli A9. The dust jacket's rear panel lists books by six Random House authors, as called for.

## Is this the true first?
US first (Random House, 1934). The first UK edition was published by Longmans, Green in London, also in 1934, as a standalone volume with dozens of textual variations from the US text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition is required to identify the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Castaway* by James Gould Cozzens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/castaway
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.