# Is "Down There (Shoot the Piano Player)" by David Goodis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Down There (Shoot the Piano Player) by David Goodis (Gold Medal Books, 1956) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #957 (1956), the printed price, titled 'Down There.' Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it. Paperback is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #957
- , the printed price, titled 'Down There.' Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it
- Basis for Truffaut's 'Shoot the Piano Player'; later reissued under that title (tie-in)
- First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Goodis |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #957 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #957 (1956), the printed price, titled 'Down There.' Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it. Basis for Truffaut's 'Shoot the Piano Player'; later reissued under that title (tie-in). First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback is the true first. Retitled 'Shoot the Piano Player' for the film (post-1960); those editions are reprints/first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The Gold Medal #957 titled 'Down There' is the true first; 'Shoot the Piano Player' retitlings postdate the film.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Down There (Shoot the Piano Player)* by David Goodis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/down-there-shoot-the-piano-player
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.