# Is "Sula" by Toni Morrison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sula by Toni Morrison (Alfred A. Knopf, 1973) is identified by: Copyright page states "First Edition" with no later printing indicated. US Knopf printing of 1973 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states "First Edition" with no later printing indicated
- Bound in orange cloth, lettering in gilt on spine and front cover, the Knopf Borzoi device blind-stamped to the rear board, top edge stained green
- The dust jacket (design by Wendell Minor) carries the printed retail price
- Morrison's scarce second novel
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Toni Morrison |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states "First Edition" with no later printing indicated |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states "First Edition" with no later printing indicated. Bound in orange cloth, lettering in gilt on spine and front cover, the Knopf Borzoi device blind-stamped to the rear board, top edge stained green. The dust jacket (design by Wendell Minor) carries the printed retail price. Morrison's scarce second novel.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf printing of 1973 is the true first edition. The UK edition (Allen Lane) followed in 1974.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book club edition is distinguished by a blind-stamped square to the rear board (rather than the publisher's device) and a dust jacket lacking the printed price. Note that both the first and the club edition carry a blind stamp on the rear board, so the price-clipped/absent jacket and the plain blind square are the reliable tells.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sula* by Toni Morrison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sula
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.