# Is "Soul on Ice" by Eldridge Cleaver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1968) is identified by: True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared). US McGraw-Hill 1968 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared)
- Publisher's blue cloth lettered in white and green; xvi + 210 + [1] pp, octavo; introduction by Maxwell Geismar
- The first printing carries 'First Edition' on the copyright page (McGraw-Hill's period practice) with no later-printing indicator, in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap)
- Many later McGraw-Hill printings (2nd through 12th and beyond) exist, so verify the copyright-page 'First Edition' statement rather than relying on the 1968 date alone
- Publisher imprint reads McGraw-Hill Book Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eldridge Cleaver |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill Book Company |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968 (issued in association with Ramparts, where the essays first appeared). Publisher's blue cloth lettered in white and green; xvi + 210 + [1] pp, octavo; introduction by Maxwell Geismar. The first printing carries 'First Edition' on the copyright page (McGraw-Hill's period practice) with no later-printing indicator, in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap). Many later McGraw-Hill printings (2nd through 12th and beyond) exist, so verify the copyright-page 'First Edition' statement rather than relying on the 1968 date alone.

## Is this the true first?
US McGraw-Hill 1968 is the true first, preceding the first UK edition (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969). The census note is correct.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Delta/Dell paperback (1968, pictorial wraps) and the many later McGraw-Hill hardcover printings are common and are NOT the first; the first-printing hardback in a priced jacket, with the 'First Edition' copyright statement, is the collecting point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Soul on Ice* by Eldridge Cleaver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/soul-on-ice
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.