# Is "This Quiet Dust and Other Writings" by William Styron a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of This Quiet Dust and Other Writings by William Styron (Random House, 1982) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page; a collected gathering of Styron's essays and occasional writings. US first; first-thus as Styron's first nonfiction collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page; a collected gathering of Styron's essays and occasional writings
- A separately bound signed limited edition of 250 copies was also issued alongside the trade first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Styron |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page; a collected gathering of Styron's essays and occasional writings |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page; a collected gathering of Styron's essays and occasional writings. A separately bound signed limited edition of 250 copies was also issued alongside the trade first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US first; first-thus as Styron's first nonfiction collection. Both the trade issue and the numbered, signed limited issue are first-printing states.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings revise the copyright-page statement; distinguish the trade issue from the signed limited issue of 250 copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *This Quiet Dust and Other Writings* by William Styron a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/this-quiet-dust-and-other-writings
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.