# Is "Prater Violet" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Prater Violet by Christopher Isherwood (Random House, 1945) is identified by: First edition, first printing, Random House, New York, 1945, blue-grey cloth with violet and cream lettering and the top edge stained grey-violet, in the dust jacket priced 2.00 on the front flap. US Random House (1945) is the true first; the UK Methuen edition followed in 1946.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, Random House, New York, 1945, blue-grey cloth with violet and cream lettering and the top edge stained grey-violet, in the dust jacket priced 2.00 on the front flap
- The US Random House edition precedes the UK Methuen edition of 1946
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, Random House, New York, 1945, blue-grey cloth with violet and cream lettering and the top edge stained… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, Random House, New York, 1945, blue-grey cloth with violet and cream lettering and the top edge stained grey-violet, in the dust jacket priced 2.00 on the front flap. The US Random House edition precedes the UK Methuen edition of 1946.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House (1945) is the true first; the UK Methuen edition followed in 1946.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Prater Violet* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/prater-violet
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.