# Is "Sophie's Choice" by William Styron a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sophie's Choice by William Styron (Random House, 1979) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Trade Edition' (not 'First Edition') with a Random House number line ending in 2 — i.e. The US Random House trade hardcover (1979) is the standard collected first; it won the National Book Award for Fiction announced in 1980.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Trade Edition' (not 'First Edition') with a Random House number line ending in 2 — i.e. '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2', the descending 2 being Random House's first-printing indicator of the period; the copyright page also notes that a limited edition was privately printed
- Maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering and the author's facsimile signature stamped in gilt on the front board; orange endpapers; dust jacket carries the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Styron |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Trade Edition' (not 'First Edition') with a Random House number line ending in 2 — i.e. '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2', the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Trade Edition' (not 'First Edition') with a Random House number line ending in 2 — i.e. '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2', the descending 2 being Random House's first-printing indicator of the period; the copyright page also notes that a limited edition was privately printed. Maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering and the author's facsimile signature stamped in gilt on the front board; orange endpapers; dust jacket carries the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House trade hardcover (1979) is the standard collected first; it won the National Book Award for Fiction announced in 1980. A signed limited edition was privately printed ahead of the trade issue, and the Franklin Library issued a separate signed 'First Edition' the same year — both precede or parallel the trade and should not be conflated with it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club edition is smaller, blind-stamped on the rear board, with a jacket that lacks a printed price and is marked as a book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sophie's Choice* by William Styron a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sophies-choice
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.