# Is "Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 (Volume 1)" by Stephen E. Ambrose a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 (Volume 1) by Stephen E. Ambrose (Simon & Schuster, 1987) is identified by: First US edition, first printing, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1987, of the first volume of Ambrose's Nixon biography, roughly 720 pages. US true first (Simon and Schuster, 1987).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, first printing, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1987, of the first volume of Ambrose's Nixon biography, roughly 720 pages
- The first printing is identified by the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- The book is bound with a blue cloth spine stamped in copper over brown paper-covered boards, in a pictorial first-state dust jacket that carries the printed price on the front flap (the price should be present, though a clipped jacket does not by itself rule out a first printing)
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen E. Ambrose |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, first printing, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1987, of the first volume… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, first printing, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1987, of the first volume of Ambrose's Nixon biography, roughly 720 pages. The first printing is identified by the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The book is bound with a blue cloth spine stamped in copper over brown paper-covered boards, in a pictorial first-state dust jacket that carries the printed price on the front flap (the price should be present, though a clipped jacket does not by itself rule out a first printing).

## Is this the true first?
US true first (Simon and Schuster, 1987).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions lack the printed jacket price and carry a blind-stamp to the rear board; they are not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962 (Volume 1)* by Stephen E. Ambrose a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nixon-the-education-of-a-politician-1913-1962-volume-1
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.