# Is "Grendel" by John Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Grendel by John Gardner (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1971) is identified by: Knopf, New York, 1971 (trade listings give publication as August 1971). TRUE FIRST IS US — census claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1971 (trade listings give publication as August 1971)
- First printing: 'First Edition' is STATED on the copyright page — this is a stated-first house, so the statement is the primary point and its absence disqualifies
- Collation 174, [6] pp, octavo (some dealers collate [x], 174, [4])
- Publisher's purple cloth stamped in gilt, with a purple topstain
- Illustrated throughout with line drawings by Emil Antonucci, used as frontispiece and chapter headings
- Pictorial jacket, price present at the flap; one dealer records a 9/71 date code on the jacket — that is a single-source observation and should be treated as indicative, not as a required point
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Gardner |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf, New York |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1971 (trade listings give publication as August 1971) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1971 (trade listings give publication as August 1971). First printing: 'First Edition' is STATED on the copyright page — this is a stated-first house, so the statement is the primary point and its absence disqualifies. Collation 174, [6] pp, octavo (some dealers collate [x], 174, [4]). Publisher's purple cloth stamped in gilt, with a purple topstain. Illustrated throughout with line drawings by Emil Antonucci, used as frontispiece and chapter headings. Pictorial jacket, price present at the flap; one dealer records a 9/71 date code on the jacket — that is a single-source observation and should be treated as indicative, not as a required point. The census claim of Antonucci illustrations in the Knopf first is CONFIRMED.

## Is this the true first?
TRUE FIRST IS US — census claim confirmed. Alfred A. Knopf (New York, 1971) precedes; André Deutsch (London) issued the first UK edition in 1972 (ISBN 0-233-96342-1), in orange cloth lettered in gilt, retaining Antonucci's frontispiece, chapter-heading drawings and his Grendel's-head jacket design. The Deutsch is collected as the first British edition, not the first. A caution on cataloguing: at least one database record dates the Deutsch to 1971, which conflicts with the imprint and with dealer consensus — verify the title-page and copyright-page year on any 'Deutsch 1971' copy offered as a first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No Grendel-specific book-club variant is separately documented in the sources consulted, so no title-level tell can be asserted. The general Knopf-era book-club tells apply and should be checked: the copyright page lacks the 'First Edition' statement, the rear board carries a blind-stamped depression (circle, dot or square) near the lower corner, the jacket carries no price at the flap, and the bulk is smaller and lighter on thinner paper than the trade issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Grendel* by John Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/grendel
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.