# Is "The Busy Body" by Donald E. Westlake a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Busy Body by Donald E. Westlake (Random House, 1966) is identified by: Random House (New York), 1966, first edition, an octavo in brown cloth boards under a pictorial dust jacket; the copyright page carries Random House's stated 'First Edition' with no additional printing indicated. The US Random House hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House (New York), 1966, first edition, an octavo in brown cloth boards under a pictorial dust jacket; the copyright page carries Random House's stated 'First Edition' with no additional printing indicated
- Comic crime novel, adapted into a 1967 feature film
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald E. Westlake |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House (New York), 1966, first edition, an octavo in brown cloth boards under a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House (New York), 1966, first edition, an octavo in brown cloth boards under a pictorial dust jacket; the copyright page carries Random House's stated 'First Edition' with no additional printing indicated. Comic crime novel, adapted into a 1967 feature film.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover is the true first. The UK T. V. Boardman edition, also 1966, carries a Denis McLoughlin dust-jacket design and followed the American issue; it is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions of this era are typically identifiable by a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and by a jacket with no printed price on the front flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Busy Body* by Donald E. Westlake a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-busy-body
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.