# Is "The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine, or The Hithering Thithering Djinn" by Donald Barthelme a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine, or The Hithering Thithering Djinn by Donald Barthelme (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1971) is identified by: First printing by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 1971, identified by a 'First printing, 1971' statement on the copyright page. True first is the 1971 Farrar, Straus & Giroux hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 1971, identified by a 'First printing, 1971' statement on the copyright page
- An oblong illustrated children's book bound in green cloth, decorated throughout with the author's own collages assembled from nineteenth-century engravings, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed front-flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald Barthelme |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 1971, identified by a 'First printing, 1971' statement on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 1971, identified by a 'First printing, 1971' statement on the copyright page. An oblong illustrated children's book bound in green cloth, decorated throughout with the author's own collages assembled from nineteenth-century engravings, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed front-flap price.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1971 Farrar, Straus & Giroux hardcover. Barthelme's only children's book, illustrated with the author's own collages of nineteenth-century engravings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine, or The Hithering Thithering Djinn* by Donald Barthelme a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-slightly-irregular-fire-engine-or-the-hithering-thitheri
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.