# Is "Death Is a Lonely Business" by Ray Bradbury a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death Is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury (Alfred A. Knopf, 1985) is identified by: The Knopf trade issue states 'First Trade Edition' on the copyright page (not simply 'First Edition'); it is a 278-page octavo whose trade dust jacket should retain its printed flap price. The true first is generally the signed Franklin Library issue (1985), which carries a special author's introduction found in no other edition and precedes/coincides with the Knopf trade.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Knopf trade issue states 'First Trade Edition' on the copyright page (not simply 'First Edition'); it is a 278-page octavo whose trade dust jacket should retain its printed flap price
- The distinct Franklin Library issue of the same year is a leather-bound presentation volume (full dark green leather, gilt geometric border, raised spine bands, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers and a sewn-in ribbon marker) issued without a dust jacket and signed by Bradbury for the First Edition Society
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ray Bradbury |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Knopf trade issue states 'First Trade Edition' on the copyright page (not simply 'First Edition'); it is a 278-page octavo whose trade… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Knopf trade issue states 'First Trade Edition' on the copyright page (not simply 'First Edition'); it is a 278-page octavo whose trade dust jacket should retain its printed flap price. The distinct Franklin Library issue of the same year is a leather-bound presentation volume (full dark green leather, gilt geometric border, raised spine bands, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers and a sewn-in ribbon marker) issued without a dust jacket and signed by Bradbury for the First Edition Society.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is generally the signed Franklin Library issue (1985), which carries a special author's introduction found in no other edition and precedes/coincides with the Knopf trade. The Knopf 'First Trade Edition' is the first trade printing, not the overall first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition is identified by 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap and the absence of a printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death Is a Lonely Business* by Ray Bradbury a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-is-a-lonely-business
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.