# Is "The Sterile Cuckoo" by John Nichols a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sterile Cuckoo by John Nichols (David McKay Company, 1965) is identified by: David McKay imprint, 1965; copyright page shows '1965' with no additional dates or printing notices; purple cloth boards with gilt spine; jacket designed by Vivian Berger bearing the original printed price; first-issue art (pre-1969 film). The US David McKay edition of 1965 is the true first and Nichols's debut; filmed in 1969 (Liza Minnelli).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- David McKay imprint, 1965; copyright page shows '1965' with no additional dates or printing notices; purple cloth boards with gilt spine; jacket designed by Vivian Berger bearing the original printed price; first-issue art (pre-1969 film)
- Nichols's first novel
- Publisher imprint reads David McKay Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Nichols |
| Publisher | David McKay Company |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | David McKay imprint, 1965; copyright page shows '1965' with no additional dates or printing notices; purple cloth boards with gilt spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
David McKay imprint, 1965; copyright page shows '1965' with no additional dates or printing notices; purple cloth boards with gilt spine; jacket designed by Vivian Berger bearing the original printed price; first-issue art (pre-1969 film). Nichols's first novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US David McKay edition of 1965 is the true first and Nichols's debut; filmed in 1969 (Liza Minnelli). Film-tie-in paperbacks are later. Advance reading copies exist in printed blue stiff wrappers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguished by the McKay imprint, the absence of later-printing notices, and the original priced jacket without film imagery.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sterile Cuckoo* by John Nichols a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sterile-cuckoo
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.