# Is "The Second Coming" by Walker Percy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Second Coming by Walker Percy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1980) is identified by: Trade first: FSG 'First printing, 1980' on the copyright page; orange cloth boards stamped in gilt, tan endpapers, 360 pages; first-issue jacket. US Farrar, Straus & Giroux is the true first; a signed limited issue of 450 copies was published alongside the trade first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first: FSG 'First printing, 1980' on the copyright page; orange cloth boards stamped in gilt, tan endpapers, 360 pages; first-issue jacket
- A separate signed limited issue of 450 copies (blue cloth, in a publisher's slipcase) was signed at the colophon
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walker Percy |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first: FSG 'First printing, 1980' on the copyright page; orange cloth boards stamped in gilt, tan endpapers, 360 pages; first-issue… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first: FSG 'First printing, 1980' on the copyright page; orange cloth boards stamped in gilt, tan endpapers, 360 pages; first-issue jacket. A separate signed limited issue of 450 copies (blue cloth, in a publisher's slipcase) was signed at the colophon.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus & Giroux is the true first; a signed limited issue of 450 copies was published alongside the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The trade first states 'First printing, 1980'; the book-club edition lacks the flap price and shows a gutter/blind code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Second Coming* by Walker Percy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-second-coming
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.