# Is "The World According to Garp" by John Irving a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The World According to Garp by John Irving (E.P. Dutton, 1978) is identified by: Full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' present on the copyright page; bound in gold and navy cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping and the characteristic natural toning and roughness to the page edges. The US E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' present on the copyright page; bound in gold and navy cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping and the characteristic natural toning and roughness to the page edges
- The navy dust jacket, designed by Leo Manso, is printed in gold and red and carries the printed price on the front flap along with '0478' on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads E.P. Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Irving |
| Publisher | E.P. Dutton |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' present on the copyright page; bound in gold and navy cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' present on the copyright page; bound in gold and navy cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping and the characteristic natural toning and roughness to the page edges. The navy dust jacket, designed by Leo Manso, is printed in gold and red and carries the printed price on the front flap along with '0478' on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
The US E.P. Dutton edition (Henry Robbins, editor) is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition (1978) follows. This was Irving's fourth novel and his breakthrough, and it is scarce in fine first-state jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions are physically smaller, lack the number line, are blind-stamped on the rear board, and their jackets carry no printed price and no '0478' code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The World According to Garp* by John Irving a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-world-according-to-garp
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.