# Is "Expensive People" by Joyce Carol Oates a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Expensive People by Joyce Carol Oates (Vanguard Press, 1968) is identified by: Second of the Wonderland Quartet. US Vanguard, 1968 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Second of the Wonderland Quartet
- Vanguard Press, New York, 1968; approximately 308 pp., orange cloth
- Original dust jacket with the price present on the front flap and no additional-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joyce Carol Oates |
| Publisher | Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Second of the Wonderland Quartet |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Second of the Wonderland Quartet. Vanguard Press, New York, 1968; approximately 308 pp., orange cloth. Original dust jacket with the price present on the front flap and no additional-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
US Vanguard, 1968 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issues lack the price on the jacket flap and often carry a blind-stamp to the rear board and a gutter code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Expensive People* by Joyce Carol Oates a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/expensive-people
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.