# Is "Libra" by Don DeLillo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Libra by Don DeLillo (Viking, 1988) is identified by: First edition, Viking Penguin, 1988, with 'First published in 1988 by Viking Penguin Inc.' stated on the copyright page and no mention of a later printing. US Viking Penguin is the true first; UK Viking/Penguin followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Viking Penguin, 1988, with 'First published in 1988 by Viking Penguin Inc.' stated on the copyright page and no mention of a later printing
- Bound in cream-colored boards with a black cloth spine
- The first-issue dust jacket, designed by Neil Stuart, carries a photograph of Lee Harvey Oswald with leftist literature and a Carcano rifle; the back panel reproduces five review quotes for DeLillo's earlier White Noise, and the front flap prints the US price at the top and the UK price at the bottom
- The first-state jacket should retain its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Don DeLillo |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Viking Penguin, 1988, with 'First published in 1988 by Viking Penguin Inc.' stated on the copyright page and no mention of a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Viking Penguin, 1988, with 'First published in 1988 by Viking Penguin Inc.' stated on the copyright page and no mention of a later printing. Bound in cream-colored boards with a black cloth spine. The first-issue dust jacket, designed by Neil Stuart, carries a photograph of Lee Harvey Oswald with leftist literature and a Carcano rifle; the back panel reproduces five review quotes for DeLillo's earlier White Noise, and the front flap prints the US price at the top and the UK price at the bottom. The first-state jacket should retain its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking Penguin is the true first; UK Viking/Penguin followed. Signed copies, flat-signed by DeLillo on the title page, are the premium form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition is identified by a small gold maple-leaf blindstamp at the lower rear board near the spine and by three added lines of Book-of-the-Month-Club address information at the foot of the copyright page; it does not carry the trade first's copyright statement or priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Libra* by Don DeLillo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/libra
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.