# Is "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Plainsong by Kent Haruf (Alfred A. Knopf, 1999) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Alfred A. US precedes UK: Knopf (New York), 1999 is the true first; the first UK edition followed from Picador (London) in 2000.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999 (October 1999)
- Knopf first printings are identified by the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (Knopf convention; no number line) — later printings remove that line or note the printing
- Bound in quarter dark-gray cloth over gray paper boards with silver spine lettering, roughly xii + 301 pp; priced first-issue jacket present at the flap (identification only)
- National Book Award finalist
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kent Haruf |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999 (October 1999) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999 (October 1999). Knopf first printings are identified by the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (Knopf convention; no number line) — later printings remove that line or note the printing. Bound in quarter dark-gray cloth over gray paper boards with silver spine lettering, roughly xii + 301 pp; priced first-issue jacket present at the flap (identification only). National Book Award finalist.

## Is this the true first?
US precedes UK: Knopf (New York), 1999 is the true first; the first UK edition followed from Picador (London) in 2000. The Knopf first is the collected first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
An advance reading copy in printed pictorial wraps precedes the trade edition and is an 'advance issue,' not the trade first. Book-club printings lack the stated 'First Edition' and the priced jacket; the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a priced jacket marks the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Plainsong* by Kent Haruf a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/plainsong
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.