# Is "Set This House on Fire" by William Styron a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Set This House on Fire by William Styron (Random House, 1960) is identified by: "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page per Random House convention of the period (no number line). US (Random House) is the true first; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1961) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page per Random House convention of the period (no number line)
- The binding is black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, red, and white, the top edges tinted red; the volume runs 507 pages
- The scarce first-issue dust jacket is light green with red lettering and carries its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Styron |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page per Random House convention of the period (no number line) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First Printing" is stated on the copyright page per Random House convention of the period (no number line). The binding is black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, red, and white, the top edges tinted red; the volume runs 507 pages. The scarce first-issue dust jacket is light green with red lettering and carries its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US (Random House) is the true first; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1961) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition is blind-stamped, lacks the printed flap price, and lacks the "First Printing" statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Set This House on Fire* by William Styron a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/set-this-house-on-fire
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.