# Is "The Sunlight Dialogues" by John Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sunlight Dialogues by John Gardner (Alfred A. Knopf, 1972) is identified by: The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page (Knopf's consistent practice since 1933–34), under the Borzoi device. US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page (Knopf's consistent practice since 1933–34), under the Borzoi device
- It is bound in red cloth with a black debossed design to the front board and gilt spine lettering, 673 pp., illustrated throughout by John Napper, with the top edge stained black; the first-issue dust jacket is priced at the front flap and carries a '12/72' code on the rear flap
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Gardner |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page (Knopf's consistent practice since 1933–34), under the Borzoi device |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page (Knopf's consistent practice since 1933–34), under the Borzoi device. It is bound in red cloth with a black debossed design to the front board and gilt spine lettering, 673 pp., illustrated throughout by John Napper, with the top edge stained black; the first-issue dust jacket is priced at the front flap and carries a '12/72' code on the rear flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1972, is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1973, so US precedence is clear. (One dealer record misdates the book to 1973 with a 573-pp collation — an error; the correct first is Knopf 1972, 673 pp.)

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware the Knopf trap: later Knopf printings retain the words 'FIRST EDITION' but add a printing statement (copies are catalogued as e.g. 'First Edition, Seventh Printing'), so a true first must show no additional printing line and the first-issue ('12/72') jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sunlight Dialogues* by John Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sunlight-dialogues
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.