# Is "Come Blow Your Horn" by Neil Simon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Come Blow Your Horn by Neil Simon (Doubleday, 1963) is identified by: Cloth in dust jacket priced on the front flap; Doubleday, 1963 on the title page. US Doubleday edition is the true first; the diagnostic first-printing point is the 'E5' gutter code on page 135 together with the 1963 title page and the priced jacket.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth in dust jacket priced on the front flap
- Doubleday, 1963 on the title page
- Simon's first published play
- First printing shows the Doubleday gutter code 'E5' at the foot of page 135 (E indicating the 1963 printing year)
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Simon |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth in dust jacket priced on the front flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth in dust jacket priced on the front flap; Doubleday, 1963 on the title page. Simon's first published play. First printing shows the Doubleday gutter code 'E5' at the foot of page 135 (E indicating the 1963 printing year).

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday edition is the true first; the diagnostic first-printing point is the 'E5' gutter code on page 135 together with the 1963 title page and the priced jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the priced jacket and the 'E5' gutter code and typically carry a blindstamp to the rear board; some also bear a 'Book Club Edition' notation.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Come Blow Your Horn* by Neil Simon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/come-blow-your-horn
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.