# Is "Deliverance" by James Dickey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Deliverance by James Dickey (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1970) is identified by: "First Printing" stated on the copyright page; olive cloth, title stamped in green on the spine, green endpapers and a green top-stain. US (Houghton Mifflin, Boston) is the true first; the UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 1970 follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Author's first novel. "First Printing" stated on the copyright page; olive cloth, title stamped in green on the spine, green endpapers and a green top-stain
- Issued in a price-printed first-state dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Dickey |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Company |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Author's first novel. "First Printing" stated on the copyright page; olive cloth, title stamped in green on the spine, green endpapers and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Author's first novel. "First Printing" stated on the copyright page; olive cloth, title stamped in green on the spine, green endpapers and a green top-stain. Issued in a price-printed first-state dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US (Houghton Mifflin, Boston) is the true first; the UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 1970 follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition lacks the "First Printing" statement and the flap price and typically shows a blind stamp on the rear board; a later First Edition Library facsimile also exists and is not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Deliverance* by James Dickey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/deliverance
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.