# Is "The Last Days of Louisiana Red" by Ishmael Reed a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Days of Louisiana Red by Ishmael Reed (Random House, 1974) is identified by: Random House New York, 1974, first printing. True first is the 1974 Random House hardcover; novel continuing the Papa LaBas story from Mumbo Jumbo.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House New York, 1974, first printing
- Quarter red cloth over red paper boards, gold spine lettering, red topstain; priced dust jacket
- Random House of this period states First Edition on the copyright page with the number line retaining the lowest figure on the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ishmael Reed |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House New York, 1974, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House New York, 1974, first printing. Quarter red cloth over red paper boards, gold spine lettering, red topstain; priced dust jacket. Random House of this period states First Edition on the copyright page with the number line retaining the lowest figure on the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1974 Random House hardcover; novel continuing the Papa LaBas story from Mumbo Jumbo.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions are smaller, lack the priced jacket flap, and typically show a blind-stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Days of Louisiana Red* by Ishmael Reed a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-days-of-louisiana-red
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.