# Is "The Mothman Prophecies" by John A. Keel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel (Saturday Review Press, 1975) is identified by: The true first edition of The Mothman Prophecies is the 1975 Saturday Review Press / E.P. US Saturday Review Press / E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition of The Mothman Prophecies is the 1975 Saturday Review Press / E.P. Dutton hardcover (New York), identified by the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page with the '1' present
- It is bound in black paper-covered boards over black spine cloth lettered in silver, collating [xii], 269 pages, with dust-jacket design by Peter Parnall
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed front-flap price and be unclipped-agnostic only in that the price must be present; a clean, present price and the full number line together confirm the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Saturday Review Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John A. Keel |
| Publisher | Saturday Review Press |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition of The Mothman Prophecies is the 1975 Saturday Review Press / E.P. Dutton hardcover (New York), identified by the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition of The Mothman Prophecies is the 1975 Saturday Review Press / E.P. Dutton hardcover (New York), identified by the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page with the '1' present. It is bound in black paper-covered boards over black spine cloth lettered in silver, collating [xii], 269 pages, with dust-jacket design by Peter Parnall. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed front-flap price and be unclipped-agnostic only in that the price must be present; a clean, present price and the full number line together confirm the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Saturday Review Press / E.P. Dutton hardcover (1975) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints reset or shorten the number line; book-club and later trade issues lack the priced first-issue Saturday Review Press jacket and the silver-stamped black-cloth binding described above.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mothman Prophecies* by John A. Keel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mothman-prophecies
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.