# Is "Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s by Kurt Vonnegut (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1991) is identified by: First trade edition identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; issued in cloth-backed boards with an unclipped pictorial dust jacket. True first is the 1991 G.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade edition identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; issued in cloth-backed boards with an unclipped pictorial dust jacket
- Nonfiction autobiographical collage
- A signed limited edition of 200 copies was issued simultaneously
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade edition identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; issued in cloth-backed boards with an unclipped… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First trade edition identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; issued in cloth-backed boards with an unclipped pictorial dust jacket. Nonfiction autobiographical collage. A signed limited edition of 200 copies was issued simultaneously.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1991 G. P. Putnam's Sons (New York) edition. UK edition followed from Jonathan Cape, 1991.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fates-worse-than-death-an-autobiographical-collage-of-the-19
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.