# Is "Come Back, Dr. Caligari" by Donald Barthelme a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Come Back, Dr. Caligari by Donald Barthelme (Little, Brown, 1964) is identified by: First printing identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Little, Brown / Atlantic Monthly Press convention of the period; dust jacket designed by Milton Glaser and priced 4.95. True first is the 1964 Little, Brown (Atlantic Monthly Press) hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Little, Brown / Atlantic Monthly Press convention of the period; dust jacket designed by Milton Glaser and priced 4.95
- Barthelme's first book, a collection of short stories
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald Barthelme |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Little, Brown / Atlantic Monthly Press convention of the period… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Little, Brown / Atlantic Monthly Press convention of the period; dust jacket designed by Milton Glaser and priced 4.95. Barthelme's first book, a collection of short stories.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1964 Little, Brown (Atlantic Monthly Press) hardcover. UK edition Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1966. Scarce in jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Come Back, Dr. Caligari* by Donald Barthelme a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/come-back-dr-caligari
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.