# Is "The March" by E. L. Doctorow a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The March by E. L. Doctorow (Random House, 2005) is identified by: Random House hardcover, 2005 (ISBN 0375506713). The US Random House hardcover (2005) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House hardcover, 2005 (ISBN 0375506713)
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the post-2002 Random House number line (the descending line that ends in 1), and the dust jacket carries the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E. L. Doctorow |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House hardcover, 2005 (ISBN 0375506713) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House hardcover, 2005 (ISBN 0375506713). First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the post-2002 Random House number line (the descending line that ends in 1), and the dust jacket carries the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover (2005) is the true first. It won the 2006 PEN/Faulkner Award (Doctorow's second, after Billy Bathgate) and the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition lacks the stated first-edition line, is typically smaller, often has a blind-stamp on the rear board, and has an unpriced dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The March* by E. L. Doctorow a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-march
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.