# Is "The Origin of the Brunists" by Robert Coover a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Origin of the Brunists by Robert Coover (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1966) is identified by: Putnam first printing with no later-printing line on the copyright page. The US Putnam edition is the true first; the UK edition (Barker, 1967) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Putnam first printing with no later-printing line on the copyright page
- First-state dust jacket has the spine title BRUNISTS set too wide, measuring about 1-the printed price inches tall; the second-state jacket reduced the font so the spine title measures about 1-the printed price inches
- Coover's first novel; winner of the William Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Coover |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Putnam first printing with no later-printing line on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Putnam first printing with no later-printing line on the copyright page. First-state dust jacket has the spine title BRUNISTS set too wide, measuring about 1-the printed price inches tall; the second-state jacket reduced the font so the spine title measures about 1-the printed price inches. Coover's first novel; winner of the William Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Putnam edition is the true first; the UK edition (Barker, 1967) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Putnam book-club copies show a Book Club Edition notice on the jacket flap and a blind-stamp or gutter code; the trade first carries the original priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Origin of the Brunists* by Robert Coover a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-origin-of-the-brunists
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.