# Is "Legs" by William Kennedy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Legs by William Kennedy (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1975) is identified by: First printing from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, New York, 1975; tan paper boards with a gilt-stamped Kennedy signature, backed in black cloth with gilt spine lettering; dust jacket priced on the front flap. The US Coward, McCann & Geoghegan 1975 edition is the true first; it is scarcer in firsts than Ironweed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, New York, 1975; tan paper boards with a gilt-stamped Kennedy signature, backed in black cloth with gilt spine lettering; dust jacket priced on the front flap
- First volume of the Albany cycle
- Publisher imprint reads Coward, McCann & Geoghegan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Kennedy |
| Publisher | Coward, McCann & Geoghegan |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, New York, 1975; tan paper boards with a gilt-stamped Kennedy signature, backed in black… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, New York, 1975; tan paper boards with a gilt-stamped Kennedy signature, backed in black cloth with gilt spine lettering; dust jacket priced on the front flap. First volume of the Albany cycle.

## Is this the true first?
The US Coward, McCann & Geoghegan 1975 edition is the true first; it is scarcer in firsts than Ironweed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The first-edition jacket itself notes the title as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection, so that blurb is not a book-club tell. Book-club reprints lack the printed jacket flap price and are typically on lighter boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Legs* by William Kennedy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/legs
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.