# Is "The Barracks Thief" by Tobias Wolff a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff (Ecco Press, 1984) is identified by: Ecco Press, New York, 1984. The US Ecco Press hardcover of 1984 is the true first, with 'first edition' stated on the copyright page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ecco Press, New York, 1984
- The true first is the clothbound hardcover in quarter black cloth over red boards with red spine lettering, 'first edition' stated on the copyright page, in an illustrated dust jacket priced on the flap
- A slim volume of about 101 pages
- Wolff's first book-length fiction
- Publisher imprint reads Ecco Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tobias Wolff |
| Publisher | Ecco Press |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ecco Press, New York, 1984 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ecco Press, New York, 1984. The true first is the clothbound hardcover in quarter black cloth over red boards with red spine lettering, 'first edition' stated on the copyright page, in an illustrated dust jacket priced on the flap. A slim volume of about 101 pages; Wolff's first book-length fiction.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ecco Press hardcover of 1984 is the true first, with 'first edition' stated on the copyright page. It won the 1985 PEN/Faulkner Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. The earlier record's claim of a simultaneous Ecco paperback at first publication is not supported; the Ecco paperback appeared later (1990). The collectible first is the 1984 clothbound hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Barracks Thief* by Tobias Wolff a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-barracks-thief
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.