# Is "Sadness" by Donald Barthelme a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sadness by Donald Barthelme (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1972) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First printing, 1972.' Bound in publisher's purple/violet cloth-covered boards. True first is the 1972 FSG hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First printing, 1972.' Bound in publisher's purple/violet cloth-covered boards
- The illustrated dust jacket has a white ground with a montage on the front (a girl in nineteenth-century dress with vases of flowers and a basket) and a black-and-white photograph of Barthelme on the rear panel; the front flap carries the printed price at the upper corner and should be unclipped on the true first
- A collection of short stories, most first appearing in The New Yorker
- 183 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald Barthelme |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First printing, 1972.' Bound in publisher's purple/violet cloth-covered boards |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First printing, 1972.' Bound in publisher's purple/violet cloth-covered boards. The illustrated dust jacket has a white ground with a montage on the front (a girl in nineteenth-century dress with vases of flowers and a basket) and a black-and-white photograph of Barthelme on the rear panel; the front flap carries the printed price at the upper corner and should be unclipped on the true first. A collection of short stories, most first appearing in The New Yorker; 183 pages.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1972 FSG hardcover. A UK edition followed from Jonathan Cape in 1974.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club issue; later FSG printings drop the 'First printing, 1972' line and add subsequent printing statements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sadness* by Donald Barthelme a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sadness
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.