# Is "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Godfather by Mario Puzo (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969) is identified by: Putnam first printing: copyright page shows Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11465 and the line 'PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' (printed by American Book–Stratford Press), with NO statement of any additional printing and no number line. US Putnam 1969 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Putnam first printing: copyright page shows Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11465 and the line 'PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' (printed by American Book–Stratford Press), with NO statement of any additional printing and no number line
- First-state dust jacket has printed price on front flap and the code '6903' at the foot of the flap (indicating March 1969); rear flap lists Puzo's earlier titles 'The Dark Arena' and 'The Fortunate Pilgrim' with reviews
- Quarter black cloth over white/cream boards, red endpapers; the marionette/puppet-strings device stamped on the binding
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mario Puzo |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Putnam first printing: copyright page shows Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11465 and the line 'PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Putnam first printing: copyright page shows Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-11465 and the line 'PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' (printed by American Book–Stratford Press), with NO statement of any additional printing and no number line. First-state dust jacket has printed price on front flap and the code '6903' at the foot of the flap (indicating March 1969); rear flap lists Puzo's earlier titles 'The Dark Arena' and 'The Fortunate Pilgrim' with reviews. Quarter black cloth over white/cream boards, red endpapers; the marionette/puppet-strings device stamped on the binding.

## Is this the true first?
US Putnam 1969 is the true first. The controlling points are the absence of any later-printing statement plus the printed price/'6903' first-state jacket. The UK Heinemann edition (1969) is a separate, later first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book Club Edition is common: tell by a blind stamp (small dot/square) on the lower rear board, NO price on the jacket flap (or 'Book Club Edition' printed on it), thinner/cheaper paper, and smaller overall dimensions. The BCE jacket lacks the 'the printed price / 6903' code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Godfather* by Mario Puzo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-godfather
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.