# Is "The Hermit of 69th Street: The Working Papers of Norbert Kosky" by Jerzy Kosinski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hermit of 69th Street: The Working Papers of Norbert Kosky by Jerzy Kosinski (Seaver Books / Henry Holt, 1988) is identified by: First printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and is issued in a dust jacket with a printed price on the front flap. The true first is the 1988 Seaver Books edition, New York, distributed by Henry Holt.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and is issued in a dust jacket with a printed price on the front flap
- The jacket was designed and illustrated by Jon Volk
- Kosinski's last novel, an octavo of roughly 530 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Seaver Books / Henry Holt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerzy Kosinski |
| Publisher | Seaver Books / Henry Holt |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and is issued in a dust jacket with a printed price on the front flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing carries a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and is issued in a dust jacket with a printed price on the front flap. The jacket was designed and illustrated by Jon Volk. Kosinski's last novel, an octavo of roughly 530 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the 1988 Seaver Books edition, New York, distributed by Henry Holt.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club issue is commonly recorded for this title; confirm the first printing by the terminal 1 in the number line and the price-present jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hermit of 69th Street: The Working Papers of Norbert Kosky* by Jerzy Kosinski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hermit-of-69th-street-the-working-papers-of-norbert-kosk
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.