# Is "The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews" by Eudora Welty a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews by Eudora Welty (Random House, 1978) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. US Random House first edition, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page, is the true first; a first-thus essay collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page
- Bound in publisher's quarter cloth over patterned paper-covered boards, roughly 355 pages
- First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (present on unclipped copies)
- Welty's first gathering of her selected essays and reviews
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eudora Welty |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page. Bound in publisher's quarter cloth over patterned paper-covered boards, roughly 355 pages. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (present on unclipped copies). Welty's first gathering of her selected essays and reviews.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House first edition, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page, is the true first; a first-thus essay collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints and later printings drop the stated First Edition line; the later trade paperback (Vintage) is a separate, later issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews* by Eudora Welty a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-eye-of-the-story-selected-essays-and-reviews
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.