# Is "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963) is identified by: The first edition, first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page under the Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint (New York, Chicago, San Francisco; 1963), with no additional later-printing notice. US Holt, Rinehart and Winston is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition, first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page under the Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint (New York, Chicago, San Francisco
- 1963), with no additional later-printing notice
- CORRECTION: the original first-issue dust jacket is with its printed price on the front flap, NOT the printed price
- Multiple independent dealers (bbrarebooks, burnsiderarebooks, dustjackets.com) consistently cite the printed price; no source supports the printed price
- The true-first note is ACCURATE: the US Holt, Rinehart and Winston edition (published March 18, 1963) is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition
- followed it, so the stated "First Edition" US trade copy is the collected first
- Publisher imprint reads Holt, Rinehart and Winston

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first edition, first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page under the Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint (New York… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first edition, first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page under the Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint (New York, Chicago, San Francisco; 1963), with no additional later-printing notice. CORRECTION: the original first-issue dust jacket is with its printed price on the front flap, NOT the printed price. Multiple independent dealers (bbrarebooks, burnsiderarebooks, dustjackets.com) consistently cite the printed price; no source supports the printed price. The true-first note is ACCURATE: the US Holt, Rinehart and Winston edition (published March 18, 1963) is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition (1963) followed it, so the stated "First Edition" US trade copy is the collected first.

## Is this the true first?
US Holt, Rinehart and Winston is the true first. The stated 'First Edition' trade copy is the collected first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition lacks 'First Edition' on the copyright page and carries a blind-stamp; reprints are on cheaper paper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cat's Cradle* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cats-cradle
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.