# Is "Recapitulation" by Wallace Stegner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Recapitulation by Wallace Stegner (Doubleday, 1979) is identified by: The Doubleday trade edition's own copyright page reads 'First edition after a privately printed limited edition,' with the 1979 date, in quarter black cloth over blue boards, in dust jacket. Not the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Doubleday trade edition's own copyright page reads 'First edition after a privately printed limited edition,' with the 1979 date, in quarter black cloth over blue boards, in dust jacket
- This is the first trade edition, not the earliest appearance in print
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stegner |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Doubleday trade edition's own copyright page reads 'First edition after a privately… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Doubleday trade edition's own copyright page reads 'First edition after a privately printed limited edition,' with the 1979 date, in quarter black cloth over blue boards, in dust jacket. This is the first trade edition, not the earliest appearance in print.

## Is this the true first?
Not the true first. A privately printed limited edition issued for the Franklin Library First Edition Society (leather-bound, no jacket as issued, with a special message from Stegner) precedes the Doubleday trade edition. The Doubleday is the first trade edition and states as much on its copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Franklin Library limited issue is the priority edition, not a book-club reprint. The Doubleday trade edition itself acknowledges the prior privately printed edition, so do not represent it as the absolute first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Recapitulation* by Wallace Stegner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/recapitulation
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.