# Is "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Alfred A. Knopf, 1992) is identified by: The copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statements — the decisive point; Knopf's Borzoi device is present, as on all Knopf trade books. The US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statements — the decisive point
- Knopf's Borzoi device is present, as on all Knopf trade books
- The book is issued in a printed clear acetate (glassine-like) jacket designed by Chip Kidd and Barbara de Wilde — the well-known identifying feature — with the printed price present at the front flap
- Pictorial boards, the spine lettered in black on a white ground
- Two tonal states of the first printing are recorded (a gray-toned and a yellow-toned), the gray believed to precede the yellow
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donna Tartt |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statements — the decisive point |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statements — the decisive point; Knopf's Borzoi device is present, as on all Knopf trade books. The book is issued in a printed clear acetate (glassine-like) jacket designed by Chip Kidd and Barbara de Wilde — the well-known identifying feature — with the printed price present at the front flap. Pictorial boards, the spine lettered in black on a white ground. Two tonal states of the first printing are recorded (a gray-toned and a yellow-toned), the gray believed to precede the yellow.

## Is this the true first?
The US Alfred A. Knopf edition (published 5 September 1992) is the true first; the UK Viking edition followed the same year (US precedes UK). Tartt's scarce debut and a cornerstone modern first. Signed copies are frequently faked, so provenance matters.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note; the US first is told by the stated 'First Edition' and the intact printed acetate jacket with the price present at the flap. Beware later Knopf printings and the separate UK Viking first. Because the fragile acetate is easily lost or replaced, confirm it is the original printed jacket rather than a later supply.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Secret History* by Donna Tartt a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-secret-history
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.