The points of issue
First edition, Ravan Press, Johannesburg, April 1974. Coetzee's first book, a scarce small-press South African issue. Grey cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a dust jacket reproducing a Namaqualand watercolour attributed to Thomas Baines; octavo, 134 pages. No later-printing line on the true first. The two novellas are The Vietnam Project and The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee.
Is this the true first?
Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1974 is unequivocally the true first edition, preceding any overseas issue by eight years. A cornerstone Coetzee point: do not mistake the 1982 UK Secker and Warburg for the first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Secker and Warburg, London, 1982 is the first UK edition and Penguin, New York, 1985 is the first US edition; both are later first-thus issues, not the true first. The Ravan 1974 is the only true first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Dusklands a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, Ravan Press, Johannesburg, April 1974. Coetzee's first book, a scarce small-press South African issue. Grey cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a dust jacket reproducing a Namaqualand watercolour attributed to Thomas Baines; octavo, 134 pages. No later-printing line on the true first. The two novellas are The Vietnam Project and The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1974 is unequivocally the true first edition, preceding any overseas issue by eight years. A cornerstone Coetzee point: do not mistake the 1982 UK Secker and Warburg for the first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Secker and Warburg, London, 1982 is the first UK edition and Penguin, New York, 1985 is the first US edition; both are later first-thus issues, not the true first. The Ravan 1974 is the only true first.
I have a first edition of Dusklands — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.