# Is "Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book" by Walker Percy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1983) is identified by: "First printing" stated on the copyright page. US (FSG) is the true first of this satirical nonfiction title; first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First printing" stated on the copyright page
- Gray boards with black cloth spine, silver-stamped
- First-issue dust jacket designed by Sigrid Spaeth, priced 14.95 (should be unclipped)
- A signed, slipcased limited edition of 350 copies was also issued
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walker Percy |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First printing" stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First printing" stated on the copyright page. Gray boards with black cloth spine, silver-stamped. First-issue dust jacket designed by Sigrid Spaeth, priced 14.95 (should be unclipped). A signed, slipcased limited edition of 350 copies was also issued.

## Is this the true first?
US (FSG) is the true first of this satirical nonfiction title; first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are noted on the copyright page; book club copies lack the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book* by Walker Percy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lost-in-the-cosmos-the-last-self-help-book
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.