# Is "This Is My God" by Herman Wouk a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of This Is My God by Herman Wouk (Doubleday & Company, 1959) is identified by: 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1959). US Doubleday is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1960.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1959)
- A non-fiction account of Judaism from a Modern Orthodox perspective, octavo, approximately 356 pages
- Issued in cloth boards stamped on the spine, in a priced pictorial dust jacket; the printed jacket price should be present
- The first-issue jacket is unclipped when in original state
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Herman Wouk |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1959) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1959). A non-fiction account of Judaism from a Modern Orthodox perspective, octavo, approximately 356 pages. Issued in cloth boards stamped on the spine, in a priced pictorial dust jacket; the printed jacket price should be present. The first-issue jacket is unclipped when in original state.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday is the true first; a UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1960.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints omit the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; the Doubleday book-club printings likewise drop that statement and are the standard later-state tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *This Is My God* by Herman Wouk a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/this-is-my-god
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.