# Is "The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 1)" by Robert A. Caro a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 1) by Robert A. Caro (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards with the Borzoi colophon; 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (dated 1982, published November 12, 1982). US Knopf (New York) is the true first, 1982; it won the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction and was a National Book Award finalist.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards with the Borzoi colophon; 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (dated 1982, published November 12, 1982)
- Collates roughly xxiii plus 882 pages with a section of photographic plates
- First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap, and the earliest jackets predate the award announcements, so no award band or overprint appears
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Caro |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards with the Borzoi colophon; 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (dated 1982, published November 12, 1982) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards with the Borzoi colophon; 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (dated 1982, published November 12, 1982). Collates roughly xxiii plus 882 pages with a section of photographic plates. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap, and the earliest jackets predate the award announcements, so no award band or overprint appears.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (New York) is the true first, 1982; it won the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction and was a National Book Award finalist.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club copies lack the 'First Edition' statement, carry a small blind-stamp (dot) to the rear board, and their jackets lack the printed price on the flap. BOMC copies are also physically lighter with thinner boards than the Knopf trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 1)* by Robert A. Caro a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-path-to-power-the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-vol-1
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.