# Is "The Hat on the Bed" by John O'Hara a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hat on the Bed by John O'Hara (Random House, 1963) is identified by: Collection of twenty-four stories, an octavo of about 405 pages. The United States Random House edition (1963) is the true first; the Cresset Press London edition followed in 1964 and is the first British edition, not the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collection of twenty-four stories, an octavo of about 405 pages
- The true first carries FIRST PRINTING stated on the copyright page and is bound in green cloth boards with a blue spine panel and gilt lettering, stamped in gold on the spine
- The first-issue dust jacket is priced and should be present unclipped; later printings substitute a printing history for the FIRST PRINTING line
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John O'Hara |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collection of twenty-four stories, an octavo of about 405 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Collection of twenty-four stories, an octavo of about 405 pages. The true first carries FIRST PRINTING stated on the copyright page and is bound in green cloth boards with a blue spine panel and gilt lettering, stamped in gold on the spine. The first-issue dust jacket is priced and should be present unclipped; later printings substitute a printing history for the FIRST PRINTING line.

## Is this the true first?
The United States Random House edition (1963) is the true first; the Cresset Press London edition followed in 1964 and is the first British edition, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Random House printings are shown by a changed printing statement on the copyright page in place of the FIRST PRINTING line; no significant book-club issue defines the point of this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hat on the Bed* by John O'Hara a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hat-on-the-bed
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.