# Is "Galápagos" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1985) is identified by: First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket. True first trade edition is the 1985 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket
- A Franklin Library signed limited edition, full leather with all-edges-gilt and marbled endpapers, was issued for its Signed First Edition Society
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing stated on the copyright page; priced trade dust jacket. A Franklin Library signed limited edition, full leather with all-edges-gilt and marbled endpapers, was issued for its Signed First Edition Society.

## Is this the true first?
True first trade edition is the 1985 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence printing. The Franklin Library signed leather edition was a deluxe limited issue for subscribers, distinct from the trade first. UK: Jonathan Cape, 1985.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition lacks the stated first printing and the priced jacket; identify the first by the stated first printing and an unclipped priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Galápagos* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gal-pagos
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.