# Is "Jazz" by Toni Morrison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jazz by Toni Morrison (Alfred A. Knopf, 1992) is identified by: Knopf trade first printing has the copyright page reading First Edition (some dealers describe it as the stated first trade edition), published April 7, 1992. The Knopf US trade printing is the true first for standard collecting; the UK Chatto & Windus edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf trade first printing has the copyright page reading First Edition (some dealers describe it as the stated first trade edition), published April 7, 1992
- Black cloth (or black paper over boards with black cloth spine) stamped in gold on front board and spine, 229 pages
- First-state dust jacket carries the printed price at the top of the front flap with a the printed price code at the foot of the rear flap
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Toni Morrison |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf trade first printing has the copyright page reading First Edition (some dealers describe it as the stated first trade edition)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf trade first printing has the copyright page reading First Edition (some dealers describe it as the stated first trade edition), published April 7, 1992. Black cloth (or black paper over boards with black cloth spine) stamped in gold on front board and spine, 229 pages. First-state dust jacket carries the printed price at the top of the front flap with a the printed price code at the foot of the rear flap.

## Is this the true first?
The Knopf US trade printing is the true first for standard collecting; the UK Chatto & Windus edition follows. A separate signed limited edition was issued by the Franklin Library for its Signed First Edition Society (full morocco, all edges gilt), which collectors treat as a distinct signed issue rather than the trade first. Jazz is the second novel of the loose trilogy that began with Beloved.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Jazz was a Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection; club copies typically lack the First Edition line, show a blind-stamp (small indentation) on the rear board, and carry an unpriced jacket. These are not the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jazz* by Toni Morrison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jazz
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.