# Is "The Executioner's Song" by Norman Mailer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer (Little, Brown and Company, 1979) is identified by: Little, Brown 1979 first printing: copyright page states 'First Edition' (no number line, per Little, Brown practice of the period); first-issue blue cloth boards with gold spine lettering and priced jacket. US Little, Brown 1979 trade edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Little, Brown 1979 first printing: copyright page states 'First Edition' (no number line, per Little, Brown practice of the period); first-issue blue cloth boards with gold spine lettering and priced jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Norman Mailer |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Little, Brown 1979 first printing: copyright page states 'First Edition' (no number line, per Little, Brown practice of the period)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Little, Brown 1979 first printing: copyright page states 'First Edition' (no number line, per Little, Brown practice of the period); first-issue blue cloth boards with gold spine lettering and priced jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Little, Brown 1979 trade edition is the true first. The original note claimed a signed/limited issue 'precedes the trade'; this could not be confirmed and has been removed. A Franklin Library signed limited edition exists but is a separate issue, not a precedent to the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions carry a blind-stamp to the rear board and an unpriced jacket; common in book-club form.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Executioner's Song* by Norman Mailer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-executioners-song
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.