# Is "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1969) is identified by: First printing states 'First printing' on the copyright page and is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, octavo, 186 pages, under the joint Seymour Lawrence / Delacorte Press imprint. US Delacorte 1969 is the true first; the UK Cape edition follows in 1970.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'First printing' on the copyright page and is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, octavo, 186 pages, under the joint Seymour Lawrence / Delacorte Press imprint
- First-issue dust jacket is designed by Paul Bacon, printed on tan stock in blue, black and red, carries its printed price on the front flap and the code '0369' on the rear flap, with the Vonnegut blurbs present
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'First printing' on the copyright page and is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, octavo, 186 pages… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'First printing' on the copyright page and is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, octavo, 186 pages, under the joint Seymour Lawrence / Delacorte Press imprint. First-issue dust jacket is designed by Paul Bacon, printed on tan stock in blue, black and red, carries its printed price on the front flap and the code '0369' on the rear flap, with the Vonnegut blurbs present.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte 1969 is the true first; the UK Cape edition follows in 1970. Signed first printings are sought after, but because Vonnegut signed fairly freely a signature alone is not scarce, so confirming first-printing state and the first-issue jacket points matters most.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the 'First printing' statement, carry an unpriced jacket, are blind-stamped or dot-marked on the rear board, and are often slightly smaller with cheaper boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Slaughterhouse-Five* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/slaughterhouse-five
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.