# Is "I, the Jury" by Mickey Spillane a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane (E. P. Dutton, 1947 (hardcover); 1948 (Signet paperback)) is identified by: The true first edition is the 1947 E. Included here as a caution: the iconic mass-market Signet is NOT the true first; the Dutton hardcover precedes it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is the 1947 E. P. Dutton HARDCOVER (this title is NOT a paperback original)
- The famous Signet paperback (Signet 699, 1948, the printed price) is the first paperback printing and is what made Spillane a phenomenon
- The hardcover first has the Dutton imprint with no later-printing statements; the dust jacket is rare
- Publisher imprint reads E. P. Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mickey Spillane |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton |
| Year | 1947 (hardcover); 1948 (Signet paperback) |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is the 1947 E. P. Dutton HARDCOVER (this title is NOT a paperback original) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is the 1947 E. P. Dutton HARDCOVER (this title is NOT a paperback original). The famous Signet paperback (Signet 699, 1948, the printed price) is the first paperback printing and is what made Spillane a phenomenon. The hardcover first has the Dutton imprint with no later-printing statements; the dust jacket is rare.

## Is this the true first?
Included here as a caution: the iconic mass-market Signet is NOT the true first; the Dutton hardcover precedes it. The Signet edition is a 'first thus' (first paperback). The Signet number 699 is the first paperback issue; later Signet printings carry higher numbers and printing statements.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the 1947 Dutton hardcover first from book-club and later trade reprints. For the Signet, later printings state the printing number; the printed price 699 with no additional printing line is the first paperback printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *I, the Jury* by Mickey Spillane a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/i-the-jury
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.