# Is "Gorilla, My Love" by Toni Cade Bambara a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara (Random House, 1972) is identified by: The true first is Random House, New York, 1972, Bambara's first story collection, ix,[3],177 pp., in publisher's cloth (brown) with an unclipped brown pictorial dust jacket. US Random House 1972 is the true first; there is no contemporary UK edition (the UK The Women's Press edition, 1984, is a much later "first thus").

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Random House, New York, 1972, Bambara's first story collection, ix,[3],177 pp., in publisher's cloth (brown) with an unclipped brown pictorial dust jacket
- The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete Random House number line; under Random House's 1970s–1990s convention the first-printing line ends in 2 (e.g., "...9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2") WITH the "First Edition" statement present, and the statement is deleted on the second printing (leaving the 2)
- So the diagnostic is the "First Edition" statement plus the full number line — a copy with the number line but no statement is a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Toni Cade Bambara |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Random House, New York, 1972, Bambara's first story collection, ix,[3],177 pp., in publisher's cloth (brown) with an… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is Random House, New York, 1972, Bambara's first story collection, ix,[3],177 pp., in publisher's cloth (brown) with an unclipped brown pictorial dust jacket. The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete Random House number line; under Random House's 1970s–1990s convention the first-printing line ends in 2 (e.g., "...9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2") WITH the "First Edition" statement present, and the statement is deleted on the second printing (leaving the 2). So the diagnostic is the "First Edition" statement plus the full number line — a copy with the number line but no statement is a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House 1972 is the true first; there is no contemporary UK edition (the UK The Women's Press edition, 1984, is a much later "first thus"). US precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Second printing removes the "First Edition" statement while keeping the number line. Book-club editions have a blind-stamp/depression to the rear board and an unpriced jacket, and are smaller/lighter than the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gorilla, My Love* by Toni Cade Bambara a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gorilla-my-love
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.