# Is "The Last Carousel" by Nelson Algren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Carousel by Nelson Algren (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1973) is identified by: First edition, first printing. US first edition (G.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1973
- Identified by 1973 on the copyright page with no subsequent printings listed
- White linen cloth stamped in blue and red on the spine; dust jacket with the publisher's price on the flap
- A collection of fiction and reportage
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nelson Algren |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing. Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1973. Identified by 1973 on the copyright page with no subsequent printings listed. White linen cloth stamped in blue and red on the spine; dust jacket with the publisher's price on the flap. A collection of fiction and reportage.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1973).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are listed on the copyright page; the first shows none.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Carousel* by Nelson Algren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-carousel
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.