# Is "Recovery" by John Berryman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Recovery by John Berryman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973) is identified by: Berryman's unfinished, posthumously published autobiographical novel, with an introduction by Saul Bellow. US Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973, is the first edition of this posthumous novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Berryman's unfinished, posthumously published autobiographical novel, with an introduction by Saul Bellow
- First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1973, orange cloth with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket
- Identify by the stated first printing on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berryman |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Berryman's unfinished, posthumously published autobiographical novel, with an… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Berryman's unfinished, posthumously published autobiographical novel, with an introduction by Saul Bellow. First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1973, orange cloth with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket. Identify by the stated first printing on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973, is the first edition of this posthumous novel.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Recovery* by John Berryman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/recovery
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.