# Is "Mumbo Jumbo" by Ishmael Reed a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed (Doubleday, 1972) is identified by: 1972 Doubleday first edition, octavo, 223 pages, illustrated. True first is the 1972 Doubleday hardcover; the novel was a 1973 National Book Award finalist in fiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 1972 Doubleday first edition, octavo, 223 pages, illustrated
- Bound in black cloth stamped in silver on the spine
- The pictorial dust jacket, designed by Ishmael Reed and Allen Weinberg, features a photograph of Josephine Baker chosen by Reed, and the first-issue jacket should retain its original printed price on the flap
- An unusual design point: the opening chapters are interrupted by copyright and title pages, evoking a cinematic title screen
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ishmael Reed |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 1972 Doubleday first edition, octavo, 223 pages, illustrated |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
1972 Doubleday first edition, octavo, 223 pages, illustrated. Bound in black cloth stamped in silver on the spine. The pictorial dust jacket, designed by Ishmael Reed and Allen Weinberg, features a photograph of Josephine Baker chosen by Reed, and the first-issue jacket should retain its original printed price on the flap. An unusual design point: the opening chapters are interrupted by copyright and title pages, evoking a cinematic title screen.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1972 Doubleday hardcover; the novel was a 1973 National Book Award finalist in fiction. A Bantam paperback followed in 1973.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Doubleday book-club issues of the period carry a blind-stamp to the rear board and lack a jacket price; not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mumbo Jumbo* by Ishmael Reed a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mumbo-jumbo
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.