# Is "Hellbox" by John O'Hara a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hellbox by John O'Hara (Random House, 1947) is identified by: Random House first printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US first; the UK Faber and Faber edition followed in 1948.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House first printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- O'Hara's first postwar short-story collection
- Black cloth lettered in silver, top edge stained blue, in the original dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John O'Hara |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House first printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Random House first printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. O'Hara's first postwar short-story collection. Black cloth lettered in silver, top edge stained blue, in the original dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US first; the UK Faber and Faber edition followed in 1948.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are stated as such on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hellbox* by John O'Hara a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hellbox
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.