# Is "Pinball" by Jerzy Kosinski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pinball by Jerzy Kosinski (Bantam Books, 1982) is identified by: First edition, Bantam Books (New York), 1982 (ISBN 0-553-05007-3), about 287 pages, issued as a hardcover with the publisher's first-edition statement. True first is the 1982 Bantam Books (New York) hardcover, released simultaneously with a trade-paperback issue in the same year; the hardcover in dust jacket is the collected first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Bantam Books (New York), 1982 (ISBN 0-553-05007-3), about 287 pages, issued as a hardcover with the publisher's first-edition statement
- Bound in quarter black cloth over black paper-covered boards, with title and decoration stamped in silver on the spine
- The first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries the printed flap price (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Bantam Books (New York), 1982 (ISBN 0-553-05007-3), about 287 pages, issued as a hardcover with the publisher's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Bantam Books (New York), 1982 (ISBN 0-553-05007-3), about 287 pages, issued as a hardcover with the publisher's first-edition statement. Bound in quarter black cloth over black paper-covered boards, with title and decoration stamped in silver on the spine. The first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries the printed flap price (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1982 Bantam Books (New York) hardcover, released simultaneously with a trade-paperback issue in the same year; the hardcover in dust jacket is the collected first. The UK edition followed from Michael Joseph in 1983.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club Edition exists; identify it by the blind-stamped mark on the rear board and the absence of a printed jacket price. Note also that a same-year Bantam trade-paperback issue exists alongside the hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pinball* by Jerzy Kosinski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pinball
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.