# Is "The Easter Parade" by Richard Yates a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Easter Parade by Richard Yates (Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, 1976) is identified by: True first edition: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, 1976; Yates's fourth novel, 229 pp. US Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence (New York), 1976 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first edition: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, 1976
- Yates's fourth novel, 229 pp
- The first printing states 'First Printing' on the copyright page
- Binding is blue cloth with a yellow top-stain; the first-issue dust jacket is priced and unclipped at the front flap
- An uncorrected proof exists in tall red wrappers with the title inked on the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Yates |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first edition: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, 1976 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first edition: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, 1976; Yates's fourth novel, 229 pp. The first printing states 'First Printing' on the copyright page. Binding is blue cloth with a yellow top-stain; the first-issue dust jacket is priced and unclipped at the front flap. An uncorrected proof exists in tall red wrappers with the title inked on the spine.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence (New York), 1976 is the true first. A first UK edition followed from Eyre Methuen, London, 1978 (jacket using Edward Hopper's Nighthawks) — so the census's 'no contemporary UK edition' is only loosely accurate: a UK first exists but is two years later and does not affect precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Critical trap: The Easter Parade was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and the BOMC printing is nearly identical to the trade first AND likewise reads 'First Printing' on the copyright page — the statement alone will NOT distinguish it. Identify the club copy by the blind-stamped device on the rear board and a jacket with the price absent from the flap; the trade first has the price present at the flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Easter Parade* by Richard Yates a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-easter-parade
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.