# Is "Long Day's Journey Into Night" by Eugene O'Neill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill (Yale University Press, 1956) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition'; 176 pp. US Yale University Press 1956 is the true first (published posthumously; precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Edition'
- Issued both clothbound (quarter cloth over boards, spine blocked black and titled in gilt, with a black-and-white photographic dust jacket) and in printed wrappers, the wrappers issue also stated 'First Edition' and issued simultaneously
- Multiple printings appeared rapidly; later printings are stated 'Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc. on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Yale University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eugene O'Neill |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Edition' |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition'; 176 pp. Issued both clothbound (quarter cloth over boards, spine blocked black and titled in gilt, with a black-and-white photographic dust jacket) and in printed wrappers, the wrappers issue also stated 'First Edition' and issued simultaneously. Multiple printings appeared rapidly; later printings are stated 'Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc. on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US Yale University Press 1956 is the true first (published posthumously; precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition). Pulitzer Prize 1957. Both the hardcover and the stated-'First Edition' wrappers are first edition; the hardcover is the preferred collecting state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is the standard target; the key is the 'First Edition' statement with NO later-printing line on the copyright page. Second printing and beyond are explicitly stated.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Long Day's Journey Into Night* by Eugene O'Neill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/long-days-journey-into-night
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.