# Is "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) is identified by: Knopf, New York, 2005, octavo, 309 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. The US Knopf 2005 edition is the true first; later basis for the Coen Brothers film.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2005, octavo, 309 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon
- First-issue dust jacket was designed by Chip Kidd and carries the printed price on the front flap, with only six blurbs on the rear panel — a first-state jacket predating any film tie-in
- Black hardcover boards with the title on the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Cormac McCarthy |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2005, octavo, 309 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2005, octavo, 309 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. First-issue dust jacket was designed by Chip Kidd and carries the printed price on the front flap, with only six blurbs on the rear panel — a first-state jacket predating any film tie-in. Black hardcover boards with the title on the spine.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf 2005 edition is the true first; later basis for the Coen Brothers film. The UK Picador and movie-tie-in editions are later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguished by the stated 'First Edition,' the Chip Kidd-designed priced first-issue jacket with six rear-panel blurbs and no film imagery; later printings drop the statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *No Country for Old Men* by Cormac McCarthy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/no-country-for-old-men
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.