# Is "The Gospel Singer" by Harry Crews a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gospel Singer by Harry Crews (William Morrow, 1968) is identified by: Original lime paper-covered boards, stamped in black, in an unclipped dust jacket priced 4.95; octavo, 248 pp.; jacket blurb by Andrew Lytle. The US William Morrow 1968 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Original lime paper-covered boards, stamped in black, in an unclipped dust jacket priced 4.95; octavo, 248 pp.; jacket blurb by Andrew Lytle
- Crews's first novel and first book; first printing of roughly 4,000 copies per the Ahearn Author Price Guide
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harry Crews |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Original lime paper-covered boards, stamped in black, in an unclipped dust jacket priced 4.95; octavo, 248 pp.; jacket blurb by Andrew Lytle |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Original lime paper-covered boards, stamped in black, in an unclipped dust jacket priced 4.95; octavo, 248 pp.; jacket blurb by Andrew Lytle. Crews's first novel and first book; first printing of roughly 4,000 copies per the Ahearn Author Price Guide.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow 1968 edition is the true first. The UK first is Secker & Warburg.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue: blind-stamp to the rear board, no price on the jacket, and cheaper boards; lacks the Morrow first-issue points.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gospel Singer* by Harry Crews a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gospel-singer
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.