# Is "The Tunnel" by William Gass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Tunnel by William Gass (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995) is identified by: Knopf trade first states First Edition on the copyright page; first-issue jacket is unclipped at the printed price (red and black design). The US Knopf trade first is the true first; the signed limited edition is a parallel premium state, not a precedence point.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf trade first states First Edition on the copyright page; first-issue jacket is unclipped at the printed price (red and black design)
- The novel was roughly twenty-six years in the writing
- A separate signed limited issue also exists as a parallel premium state
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Gass |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf trade first states First Edition on the copyright page; first-issue jacket is unclipped at the printed price (red and black design) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf trade first states First Edition on the copyright page; first-issue jacket is unclipped at the printed price (red and black design). The novel was roughly twenty-six years in the writing. A separate signed limited issue also exists as a parallel premium state.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf trade first is the true first; the signed limited edition is a parallel premium state, not a precedence point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Trade first carries the First Edition statement and the original priced jacket; book-club copies lack the price and typically show a blind-stamp or gutter code on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Tunnel* by William Gass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-tunnel
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.