# Is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (Random House, New York, 1969) is identified by: The first printing is identified by the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page together with Random House's period number line running down to 2 (9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, with no 1). The census claim is correct: Random House, New York, 1969 is the true first edition, first printing, and there is no simultaneous or precedent British issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing is identified by the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page together with Random House's period number line running down to 2 (9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, with no 1)
- The statement is the operative point, not the number line: Random House deleted the "First Printing"/"First Edition" wording on the second printing and left the 2 standing as the lowest numeral, so a copy showing a 2-terminal line WITHOUT the statement is a second printing — this is the single most common misattribution on this title
- The first issue also carries a red-stained top edge (topstain); its absence disqualifies a copy regardless of the copyright page
- Binding is publisher's black cloth with the author's gilt initials stamped to the front board, gilt lettering to the spine, and the Random House device stamped at the spine in red foil
- 281 pp., octavo
- The jacket (designed by Janet Halverson) should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap, unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Random House, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maya Angelou |
| Publisher | Random House, New York |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | The first printing is identified by the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page together with Random House's period number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing is identified by the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page together with Random House's period number line running down to 2 (9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, with no 1). The statement is the operative point, not the number line: Random House deleted the "First Printing"/"First Edition" wording on the second printing and left the 2 standing as the lowest numeral, so a copy showing a 2-terminal line WITHOUT the statement is a second printing — this is the single most common misattribution on this title. The first issue also carries a red-stained top edge (topstain); its absence disqualifies a copy regardless of the copyright page. Binding is publisher's black cloth with the author's gilt initials stamped to the front board, gilt lettering to the spine, and the Random House device stamped at the spine in red foil; 281 pp., octavo. The jacket (designed by Janet Halverson) should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap, unclipped. NOTE — CENSUS CLAIM REFUTED: the census note's "first-issue jacket without award mentions" point is not documented by any source consulted (Bauman-class dealers, Burnside Rare Books, Biblio, or the ABAA dealer catalog aggregate); do not rely on it as an issue point. Also note this is a prose memoir, not a verse collection, despite its poetry-domain filing.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim is correct: Random House, New York, 1969 is the true first edition, first printing, and there is no simultaneous or precedent British issue. First British publication came only much later, from Virago Press, London (1984), as a Virago Modern Classics paperback — a reprint with no precedence claim, collected only as a Virago association item rather than as a first. There is no original-language question; the book was written and first published in English in the United States.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies are the principal trap and are otherwise textually identical to the trade first. Tells: a blind-stamped club punch/indent to the rear board (lower right), NO red topstain, and a jacket lacking the price at the front flap. The missing topstain is the fastest field check. Dealers note these points are frequently omitted from careless listings, so BCEs circulate described as firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* by Maya Angelou a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings
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.