# Is "The Changeling" by Joy Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Changeling by Joy Williams (Doubleday, 1978) is identified by: Doubleday first edition, copyright 1978, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page per Doubleday practice (statement present only on the first printing). US Doubleday hardcover (1978) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first edition, copyright 1978, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page per Doubleday practice (statement present only on the first printing)
- Octavo, 201 pages, publisher's orange boards with black cloth spine
- First-state dust jacket carries the original printed price, unclipped
- Williams's scarce second novel; it had no second printing and went out of print until the 2008 reissue
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joy Williams |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday first edition, copyright 1978, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page per Doubleday practice (statement present only… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first edition, copyright 1978, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page per Doubleday practice (statement present only on the first printing). Octavo, 201 pages, publisher's orange boards with black cloth spine. First-state dust jacket carries the original printed price, unclipped. Williams's scarce second novel; it had no second printing and went out of print until the 2008 reissue.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday hardcover (1978) is the true first. The 2008 Fairy Tale Review Press 30th-anniversary edition, with a foreword by Rick Moody, is a first-thus reissue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Doubleday club editions show the rear-board blind stamp and lack the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Changeling* by Joy Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-changeling
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.