# Is "The Iceman Cometh" by Eugene O'Neill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill (Random House, 1946) is identified by: Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label; top edge stained red. The US Random House 1946 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label; top edge stained red
- Octavo, 260 pp
- The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first issue is in the dust jacket with the printed price at the foot of the front flap
- Later printings are stated (for example 'Third Printing')
- Identify the first by the absence of any later-printing statement together with the original priced jacket rather than by a 'First Printing' slug
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eugene O'Neill |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Denim-blue (dark blue) cloth with O'Neill's facsimile signature gilt-stamped on the front cover; spine titled in gilt within a red label; top edge stained red. Octavo, 260 pp. The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first issue is in the dust jacket with the printed price at the foot of the front flap. Later printings are stated (for example 'Third Printing'). Identify the first by the absence of any later-printing statement together with the original priced jacket rather than by a 'First Printing' slug.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House 1946 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition. Signed examples are author-inscribed trade copies, not a separate issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page. No prominent book-club edition is the collecting target; the first trade printing in the priced jacket is.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Iceman Cometh* by Eugene O'Neill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-iceman-cometh
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.