# Is "Cockpit" by Jerzy Kosinski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cockpit by Jerzy Kosinski (Houghton Mifflin, 1975) is identified by: First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page; the dust jacket is price-clipped only when later. True first is the 1975 Houghton Mifflin (Boston) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page; the dust jacket is price-clipped only when later
- Issued in black cloth with an orange topstain
- Hardcover original
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page; the dust jacket is… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the publisher's first-edition statement with a full number line on the copyright page; the dust jacket is price-clipped only when later. Issued in black cloth with an orange topstain. Hardcover original.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1975 Houghton Mifflin (Boston) edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club Edition exists; identify it by the absence of the number line and the blind-stamped dot on the rear board, with no price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cockpit* by Jerzy Kosinski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cockpit
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.