The points of issue
Viking Press first edition, 1975, in quarter blue cloth over olive/greenish-brown paper-covered boards lettered in green on the spine, in dust jacket priced on the front flap. The cloth hardcover is the true first; reportedly about 3,500 copies. Swept the 1976 Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award (the rare triple).
Is this the true first?
US true first in cloth. The paperback editions are NOT simultaneous: a Penguin paperback (US) and a Carcanet Press edition (UK) followed in 1976. There was no concurrent 1975 trade-paperback issue to distinguish from the cloth.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Correction: the original record's 'simultaneous Viking Compass paperback' could not be verified and appears inaccurate; the paperbacks (Penguin US, Carcanet UK) appeared the following year, 1975.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Viking Press first edition, 1975, in quarter blue cloth over olive/greenish-brown paper-covered boards lettered in green on the spine, in dust jacket priced on the front flap. The cloth hardcover is the true first; reportedly about 3,500 copies. Swept the 1976 Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award (the rare triple).
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US true first in cloth. The paperback editions are NOT simultaneous: a Penguin paperback (US) and a Carcanet Press edition (UK) followed in 1976. There was no concurrent 1975 trade-paperback issue to distinguish from the cloth.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition. Correction: the original record's 'simultaneous Viking Compass paperback' could not be verified and appears inaccurate; the paperbacks (Penguin US, Carcanet UK) appeared the following year, 1975.
I have a first edition of Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.