# Is "The Flame and the Flower" by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Avon Books, 1972) is identified by: Paperback original, not a hardcover, and widely cited as the first full-length single-title historical romance issued first in paperback. No US hardcover first edition exists; the 1972 Avon paperback original is the true first and precedes all UK and later editions.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original, not a hardcover, and widely cited as the first full-length single-title historical romance issued first in paperback
- Avon mass-market original published April 1972 with an initial print run of about 500,000 copies
- A true first printing shows no statement of a later printing on the copyright page (no second printing or higher number)
- Because the print run was large, the scarce element is a crisp, unread first printing rather than the printing itself
- Publisher imprint reads Avon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathleen E. Woodiwiss |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original, not a hardcover, and widely cited as the first full-length single-title historical romance issued first in paperback |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original, not a hardcover, and widely cited as the first full-length single-title historical romance issued first in paperback. Avon mass-market original published April 1972 with an initial print run of about 500,000 copies. A true first printing shows no statement of a later printing on the copyright page (no second printing or higher number). Because the print run was large, the scarce element is a crisp, unread first printing rather than the printing itself.

## Is this the true first?
No US hardcover first edition exists; the 1972 Avon paperback original is the true first and precedes all UK and later editions. The later Avon reissues and the much later William Morrow hardcover are first thus only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club title in the usual sense; there is no Book-of-the-Month or Doubleday hardcover. Distinguish the true first by the clean copyright page with no later-printing statement; later Avon printings list higher printing numbers. Any hardcover is a much later edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Flame and the Flower* by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-flame-and-the-flower
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.