# Is "In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences" by Truman Capote a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote (Random House, 1965) is identified by: Maroon cloth, title gilt to spine, author's initials to front board; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with the Random House colophon on the title page; first-state dust jacket with its printed price on the front flap with the code 'the printed price' at the foot of the front flap. US Random House (New York) true first; title page dated 1965 though the trade edition was published January 1966.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Maroon cloth, title gilt to spine, author's initials to front board; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with the Random House colophon on the title page; first-state dust jacket with its printed price on the front flap with the code 'the printed price' at the foot of the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Truman Capote |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Maroon cloth, title gilt to spine, author's initials to front board; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with the Random House… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Maroon cloth, title gilt to spine, author's initials to front board; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with the Random House colophon on the title page; first-state dust jacket with its printed price on the front flap with the code 'the printed price' at the foot of the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House (New York) true first; title page dated 1965 though the trade edition was published January 1966. UK Hamish Hamilton followed in 1966. The work first appeared serialized in The New Yorker.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club issue lacks the 'First Printing' statement and the jacket price and carries a blind-stamp to the rear board; very common.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences* by Truman Capote a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-cold-blood-a-true-account-of-a-multiple-murder-and-its-co
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.