# Is "Losing Battles" by Eudora Welty a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Losing Battles by Eudora Welty (Random House, 1970) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page (no number line on this era of Random House firsts). US Random House first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page (no number line on this era of Random House firsts)
- First-issue dust jacket carries the 7.95 price and a the printed price printing code on the rear flap; binding is gilt-stamped olive cloth, jacket designed by John Kashiwabara
- Published April 1970
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eudora Welty |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page (no number line on this era of Random House firsts) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page (no number line on this era of Random House firsts). First-issue dust jacket carries the 7.95 price and a the printed price printing code on the rear flap; binding is gilt-stamped olive cloth, jacket designed by John Kashiwabara. Published April 1970.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House first edition is the true first. The UK edition (Bodley Head) follows. A separate signed, numbered limited edition of 300 copies was issued in a slipcase with a plain acetate jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club issues are typically printed on thinner stock, lack the priced first-state jacket, and may omit or alter the copyright-page issue points; verify against the priced the printed price jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Losing Battles* by Eudora Welty a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/losing-battles
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.