# Is "The Thanksgiving Visitor" by Truman Capote a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote (Random House, 1967) is identified by: Issued first as a signed limited edition of 300 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, in half red cloth over paper-covered boards, housed in the publisher's pictorial slipcase and issued without a dust jacket. US first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued first as a signed limited edition of 300 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, in half red cloth over paper-covered boards, housed in the publisher's pictorial slipcase and issued without a dust jacket
- A trade edition followed
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Truman Capote |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued first as a signed limited edition of 300 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, in half red cloth over… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Issued first as a signed limited edition of 300 copies, signed and numbered by Capote on the limitation page, in half red cloth over paper-covered boards, housed in the publisher's pictorial slipcase and issued without a dust jacket. A trade edition followed.

## Is this the true first?
US first. The story first appeared in McCall's (November 1967). The signed/numbered limited edition of 300 copies is the premium; the trade book is commonly dated 1968.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is the concern; the distinction is between the 300-copy signed limited and the later trade edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Thanksgiving Visitor* by Truman Capote a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-thanksgiving-visitor
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.