# Is "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects" by Edward J. Ruppelt a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects by Edward J. Ruppelt (Doubleday, 1956) is identified by: First edition published by Doubleday & Company in Garden City, New York, in 1956, written by the former head of the Air Force's Project Blue Book. The Doubleday Garden City printing is the American first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Doubleday & Company in Garden City, New York, in 1956, written by the former head of the Air Force's Project Blue Book
- The first printing is bound in black cloth with the spine lettered in silver gilt and red
- The first-state dust jacket retains its printed price to the front flap and should be present and unclipped on a first-issue copy
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward J. Ruppelt |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Doubleday & Company in Garden City, New York, in 1956, written by the former head of the Air Force's Project… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Doubleday & Company in Garden City, New York, in 1956, written by the former head of the Air Force's Project Blue Book. The first printing is bound in black cloth with the spine lettered in silver gilt and red. The first-state dust jacket retains its printed price to the front flap and should be present and unclipped on a first-issue copy.

## Is this the true first?
The Doubleday Garden City printing is the American first. A Gollancz edition was published in London in 1956 as the separate British first; the two are distinct issues.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. The Literary Guild, Mystery Guild, and Doubleday Book Club run through this house; their club editions carry a five-digit code block on the jacket and a rear-board blind stamp — not the same as the trade first. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects* by Edward J. Ruppelt a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-report-on-unidentified-flying-objects
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.