# Is "Deadeye Dick" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1982) is identified by: First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket. True first is the 1982 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket
- Blue cloth with a facsimile author signature in gilt on the front board
- A separate signed/numbered limited edition of 350 copies in a matching slipcase was issued
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket. Blue cloth with a facsimile author signature in gilt on the front board. A separate signed/numbered limited edition of 350 copies in a matching slipcase was issued.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1982 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade edition. The signed limited issue is limited to 350 numbered copies.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition lacks the stated first printing and the priced jacket; identify the first by the stated first printing and an unclipped priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Deadeye Dick* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/deadeye-dick
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.