# Is "The Man Died: Prison Notes" by Wole Soyinka a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man Died: Prison Notes by Wole Soyinka (Rex Collings, 1972) is identified by: First edition, Rex Collings, London, 1972. Rex Collings London 1972 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Rex Collings, London, 1972
- Octavo in publisher's black cloth with the title stamped in gilt to the spine, paginated roughly [10], 11-315, [5] pages; issued in a typographic dust jacket that carries the printed net price, which should be present (unclipped) on a first-state copy
- Soyinka's prison memoir of his Nigerian Civil War detention
- Publisher imprint reads Rex Collings
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wole Soyinka |
| Publisher | Rex Collings |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Rex Collings, London, 1972 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Rex Collings, London, 1972. Octavo in publisher's black cloth with the title stamped in gilt to the spine, paginated roughly [10], 11-315, [5] pages; issued in a typographic dust jacket that carries the printed net price, which should be present (unclipped) on a first-state copy. Soyinka's prison memoir of his Nigerian Civil War detention.

## Is this the true first?
Rex Collings London 1972 is the true first edition. The first US edition (Harper & Row, New York, 1972) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Penguin and later paperbacks are reprints; no notable book-club hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man Died: Prison Notes* by Wole Soyinka a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-died-prison-notes
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.