# Is "Incident at Vichy" by Arthur Miller a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Incident at Vichy by Arthur Miller (Viking Press, 1965) is identified by: First edition, first printing, Viking Press, New York, 1965; a slim octavo bound in half blue cloth over patterned white paper boards, gilt-lettered spine, with black endpapers and a blind-embossed 'M' to the front board. US Viking is the true first (1965); the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed in 1966.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, Viking Press, New York, 1965; a slim octavo bound in half blue cloth over patterned white paper boards, gilt-lettered spine, with black endpapers and a blind-embossed 'M' to the front board
- The first-issue dust jacket was designed by M.B. Glick and should retain its printed price on the front flap (not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Miller |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, Viking Press, New York, 1965; a slim octavo bound in half… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, Viking Press, New York, 1965; a slim octavo bound in half blue cloth over patterned white paper boards, gilt-lettered spine, with black endpapers and a blind-embossed 'M' to the front board. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by M.B. Glick and should retain its printed price on the front flap (not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Viking is the true first (1965); the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed in 1966.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club issue exists, distinguished by the usual tell of no printed price on the jacket. Note that the blind-embossed 'M' on the front board is a feature of the Viking trade first itself, not a book-club marker.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Incident at Vichy* by Arthur Miller a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/incident-at-vichy
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.