# Is "Elizabeth Appleton" by John O'Hara a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Elizabeth Appleton by John O'Hara (Random House, 1963) is identified by: Novel, designed by Tere LoPrete. United States Random House edition (1963) is the true first; a London edition (Cresset Press) followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Novel, designed by Tere LoPrete
- The true first carries FIRST PRINTING on the copyright page; absence of that line indicates a later state or a book club copy
- Bound in red cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine; first-issue jacket unclipped with the printed price present on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John O'Hara |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Novel, designed by Tere LoPrete |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Novel, designed by Tere LoPrete. The true first carries FIRST PRINTING on the copyright page; absence of that line indicates a later state or a book club copy. Bound in red cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine; first-issue jacket unclipped with the printed price present on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
United States Random House edition (1963) is the true first; a London edition (Cresset Press) followed. The American printing leads.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book club edition lacks the FIRST PRINTING statement and is typically identified by a small blind-stamped device embossed in the rear board, the standard book-club marker of the era.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Elizabeth Appleton* by John O'Hara a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/elizabeth-appleton
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.