# Is "Mulligan Stew" by Gilbert Sorrentino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mulligan Stew by Gilbert Sorrentino (Grove Press, 1979) is identified by: First edition, first printing; Grove Press, New York, 1979, with a priced pictorial dust jacket (jacket design and photography by Michael Werner). True first is the 1979 Grove Press edition, issued simultaneously in hardcover and softcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- Grove Press, New York, 1979, with a priced pictorial dust jacket (jacket design and photography by Michael Werner)
- Red cloth boards with gilt spine lettering
- First printing was 8,000 copies; the second Grove printing was 7,000
- Sorrentino's best-known novel
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gilbert Sorrentino |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing; Grove Press, New York, 1979, with a priced pictorial dust jacket (jacket design and photography by Michael Werner). Red cloth boards with gilt spine lettering. First printing was 8,000 copies; the second Grove printing was 7,000. Sorrentino's best-known novel.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1979 Grove Press edition, issued simultaneously in hardcover and softcover. UK edition: Marion Boyars, 1980.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Quality Paperback Book Club issue exists; distinguish it from the Grove trade printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mulligan Stew* by Gilbert Sorrentino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mulligan-stew
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.