# Is "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop." by Robert Coover a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. by Robert Coover (Random House, 1968) is identified by: Random House, New York, 1968. The US Random House edition is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition (1970) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House, New York, 1968
- First printing stated on the copyright page per Random House practice of the period (the words 'First Edition' / 'First Printing')
- Octavo, 242 pages; tan paper-covered boards over red pictorial cloth, spine stamped in silver; dust jacket designed by Adelson & Eichinger with original price to the front flap
- Frequently catalogued under the short title 'The Universal Baseball Association.'
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Coover |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House, New York, 1968 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House, New York, 1968. First printing stated on the copyright page per Random House practice of the period (the words 'First Edition' / 'First Printing'). Octavo, 242 pages; tan paper-covered boards over red pictorial cloth, spine stamped in silver; dust jacket designed by Adelson & Eichinger with original price to the front flap. Frequently catalogued under the short title 'The Universal Baseball Association.'

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House edition is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition (1970) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies of this period are typically identified by a small blind gutter dot on the rear board and by a jacket flap that lacks the printed price; the trade first carries the original flap price and the stated first-printing line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.* by Robert Coover a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-universal-baseball-association-inc-j-henry-waugh-prop
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.