# Is "Sun Moon Star" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sun Moon Star by Kurt Vonnegut (Harper & Row, 1980) is identified by: Copyright page states First Edition (Harper & Row used a stated-edition line for this title, not a number line). True first is the 1980 Harper & Row edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states First Edition (Harper & Row used a stated-edition line for this title, not a number line)
- Illustrated children's/holiday book with Ivan Chermayeff, who created the abstract images first
- Vonnegut then wrote text to fit them
- Black cloth boards with sun, star, and moon devices to the front; priced dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states First Edition (Harper & Row used a stated-edition line for this title, not a number line) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states First Edition (Harper & Row used a stated-edition line for this title, not a number line). Illustrated children's/holiday book with Ivan Chermayeff, who created the abstract images first; Vonnegut then wrote text to fit them. Black cloth boards with sun, star, and moon devices to the front; priced dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1980 Harper & Row edition. A minor, often-overlooked Vonnegut title.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club issue noted; identify the first by the stated First Edition line and an unclipped priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sun Moon Star* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sun-moon-star
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.