# Is "Happy Birthday, Wanda June" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Happy Birthday, Wanda June by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1971) is identified by: First trade hardcover states 'First printing' on the copyright page; first-state dust jacket carries the original price and is unclipped. True first is the 1971 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade hardcover states 'First printing' on the copyright page; first-state dust jacket carries the original price and is unclipped
- Black cloth with red foil trident on the front board
- Vonnegut's first published play
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade hardcover states 'First printing' on the copyright page; first-state dust jacket carries the original price and is unclipped |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First trade hardcover states 'First printing' on the copyright page; first-state dust jacket carries the original price and is unclipped. Black cloth with red foil trident on the front board; Vonnegut's first published play.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1971 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade hardcover. A Samuel French acting edition (paperback) also exists and is a separate, later format, not the collected first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Happy Birthday, Wanda June* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/happy-birthday-wanda-june
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.