# Is "Rabbit Redux" by John Updike a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rabbit Redux by John Updike (Alfred A. Knopf, 1971) is identified by: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. The US Knopf trade first is the true first edition and precedes the UK Andre Deutsch edition of 1972.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon
- Bound in red cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine; the first-issue trade jacket has a pictorial rear panel and carries the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Updike |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page, with the Borzoi/Knopf colophon. Bound in red cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine; the first-issue trade jacket has a pictorial rear panel and carries the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf trade first is the true first edition and precedes the UK Andre Deutsch edition of 1972. A separate signed limited issue of 350 copies, printed on special paper, is specially bound in blue patterned cloth boards, signed by Updike on the limitation page, and issued in a publisher's decorated board slipcase with an acetate wrapper rather than the trade dust jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club copies lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the printed jacket price and typically carry a blind-stamped impression on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rabbit Redux* by John Updike a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rabbit-redux
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.