# Is "Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose" by Flannery O'Connor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1969) is identified by: True first issued by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1969, a posthumous collection of essays and lectures selected and edited by Sally and Robert Fitzgerald. US FSG first (1969) is the true first; this is the first-thus gathering of O'Connor's nonfiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first issued by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1969, a posthumous collection of essays and lectures selected and edited by Sally and Robert Fitzgerald
- Identify by the first-printing statement on the copyright page (FSG of this era states the first printing, typically with the year) and a first-issue dust jacket carrying the original price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Flannery O'Connor |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first issued by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1969, a posthumous collection of essays and lectures selected and edited by Sally and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first issued by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1969, a posthumous collection of essays and lectures selected and edited by Sally and Robert Fitzgerald. Identify by the first-printing statement on the copyright page (FSG of this era states the first printing, typically with the year) and a first-issue dust jacket carrying the original price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US FSG first (1969) is the true first; this is the first-thus gathering of O'Connor's nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition; later printings note subsequent printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose* by Flannery O'Connor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mystery-and-manners-occasional-prose
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.