# Is "Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942" by Richard Brautigan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942 by Richard Brautigan (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1977) is identified by: First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; bound in black cloth (cloth-backed boards) with gilt spine lettering, lavender top-stain and lavender endpapers and pastedowns. True first is the 1977 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; bound in black cloth (cloth-backed boards) with gilt spine lettering, lavender top-stain and lavender endpapers and pastedowns
- Issued in the original unclipped dust jacket designed by Craig Nelson, which should retain its printed front-flap price; note that some first-printing copies carry a remainder mark
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Brautigan |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; bound in black cloth (cloth-backed boards) with gilt spine lettering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; bound in black cloth (cloth-backed boards) with gilt spine lettering, lavender top-stain and lavender endpapers and pastedowns. Issued in the original unclipped dust jacket designed by Craig Nelson, which should retain its printed front-flap price; note that some first-printing copies carry a remainder mark.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1977 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later book-club edition exists; it is typically blind-stamped with no printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942* by Richard Brautigan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dreaming-of-babylon-a-private-eye-novel-1942
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.