# Is "The King" by Donald Barthelme a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The King by Donald Barthelme (Harper & Row, 1990) is identified by: First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original price. True first is the 1990 Harper & Row edition, published posthumously (Barthelme died in 1989).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original price
- Posthumous Arthurian novel, illustrated by Barry Moser
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald Barthelme |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original price. Posthumous Arthurian novel, illustrated by Barry Moser.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1990 Harper & Row edition, published posthumously (Barthelme died in 1989).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No widely noted book-club issue of consequence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The King* by Donald Barthelme a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-king
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.