# Is "The Muses Are Heard" by Truman Capote a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Muses Are Heard by Truman Capote (Random House, 1956) is identified by: Copyright page states "FIRST PRINTING" (Random House practice of this era). US Random House edition is the true first; the UK (Heinemann, 1957) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states "FIRST PRINTING" (Random House practice of this era)
- Capote's reportage account of the Everyman Opera company's Porgy and Bess tour of the USSR. Dust jacket designed by Philip Grushkin with English lettering to the front and Slavonic to the rear
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Truman Capote |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states "FIRST PRINTING" (Random House practice of this era) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states "FIRST PRINTING" (Random House practice of this era). Capote's reportage account of the Everyman Opera company's Porgy and Bess tour of the USSR. Dust jacket designed by Philip Grushkin with English lettering to the front and Slavonic to the rear.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House edition is the true first; the UK (Heinemann, 1957) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings lack the "FIRST PRINTING" statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Muses Are Heard* by Truman Capote a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-muses-are-heard
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.