# Is "Jailbird" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1979) is identified by: The copyright page states 'First Delacorte printing' (not merely 'First printing'); no later-printing line is present. True first is the 1979 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade hardcover (published September 1979).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states 'First Delacorte printing' (not merely 'First printing'); no later-printing line is present
- Bound in full black cloth lettered in gilt on the upper board and in gilt and white on the spine, with the publisher's orange top stain
- The glossy pictorial first-state trade dust jacket retains the printed price on the unclipped front flap
- The book carries a mock character 'index', unusual for a novel and present in the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states 'First Delacorte printing' (not merely 'First printing'); no later-printing line is present |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states 'First Delacorte printing' (not merely 'First printing'); no later-printing line is present. Bound in full black cloth lettered in gilt on the upper board and in gilt and white on the spine, with the publisher's orange top stain. The glossy pictorial first-state trade dust jacket retains the printed price on the unclipped front flap. The book carries a mock character 'index', unusual for a novel and present in the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1979 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence trade hardcover (published September 1979). The Franklin Library Signed First Edition Society issue (1979, full green leather, all edges gilt, no jacket as issued, illustrated by Alan E. Cober) is a collectible parallel state; its 'Special Message' leaf carries the author's signature.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition is blind-stamped on the rear board, is lighter in bulk, and lacks the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jailbird* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jailbird
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.