# Is "Pricksongs & Descants" by Robert Coover a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pricksongs & Descants by Robert Coover (E.P. Dutton, 1969) is identified by: First edition, first printing; priced dust jacket (5.95 on front flap). True first is the 1969 E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing; priced dust jacket (5.95 on front flap)
- Off-white cloth with brown cloth spine
- Full title on title page is Pricksongs & Descants: Fictions
- Coover's first story collection, including The Babysitter
- Publisher imprint reads E.P. Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Coover |
| Publisher | E.P. Dutton |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing; priced dust jacket (5.95 on front flap) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing; priced dust jacket (5.95 on front flap). Off-white cloth with brown cloth spine. Full title on title page is Pricksongs & Descants: Fictions. Coover's first story collection, including The Babysitter.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1969 E.P. Dutton edition. UK: Jonathan Cape, 1971.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and has a jacket lacking the printed price; verify the priced jacket on the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pricksongs & Descants* by Robert Coover a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pricksongs-descants
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.