# Is "Ninety-Two in the Shade" by Thomas McGuane a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ninety-Two in the Shade by Thomas McGuane (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973) is identified by: Green cloth boards with silver lettering to the spine; collates vii + 197 pp., octavo. The US FSG 1973 hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Green cloth boards with silver lettering to the spine; collates vii + 197 pp., octavo
- Dust jacket designed by Janet Halverson
- Farrar, Straus & Giroux in this period identified firsts by a textual copyright-page statement (a 'First printing'/'First published in 1973' line) rather than a printer's number line, and the first-printing copyright page carries no later-printing statement
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price; an advance review copy with a publisher's printed slip laid in is also recorded
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas McGuane |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Green cloth boards with silver lettering to the spine; collates vii + 197 pp., octavo |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Green cloth boards with silver lettering to the spine; collates vii + 197 pp., octavo. Dust jacket designed by Janet Halverson. Farrar, Straus & Giroux in this period identified firsts by a textual copyright-page statement (a 'First printing'/'First published in 1973' line) rather than a printer's number line, and the first-printing copyright page carries no later-printing statement. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price; an advance review copy with a publisher's printed slip laid in is also recorded.

## Is this the true first?
The US FSG 1973 hardcover is the true first. A UK edition followed. National Book Award finalist.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issues typically show a blind-stamp to the rear board, lack the original flap price, and use cheaper boards; they lack the FSG first-printing textual statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ninety-Two in the Shade* by Thomas McGuane a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ninety-two-in-the-shade
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.