# Is "Don't Touch Me" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Don't Touch Me by MacKinlay Kantor (Random House, 1951) is identified by: True first edition has the words First Printing stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice. US first edition, Random House, New York, 1951.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first edition has the words First Printing stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice
- A hardcover of 243 pages issued in cloth with a pictorial (photographic) dust jacket, which on a first-issue copy should retain the printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first edition has the words First Printing stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first edition has the words First Printing stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice. A hardcover of 243 pages issued in cloth with a pictorial (photographic) dust jacket, which on a first-issue copy should retain the printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, Random House, New York, 1951. A Korean War air-war novel of 243 pages.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the First Printing statement; a Bantam paperback edition followed.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Don't Touch Me* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dont-touch-me
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.