# Is "Voices of a Summer Day" by Irwin Shaw a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Voices of a Summer Day by Irwin Shaw (Delacorte Press, 1965) is identified by: First printing, 223 pages, navy cloth spine over yellow boards with gilt facsimile signature, untrimmed fore-edge. US Delacorte Press (1965) is the true first; Weidenfeld & Nicolson issued the first UK edition the same year (192 pages, blue cloth).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, 223 pages, navy cloth spine over yellow boards with gilt facsimile signature, untrimmed fore-edge
- Identify by the absence of any later-printing statement on the copyright page and a matching first-issue dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Irwin Shaw |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, 223 pages, navy cloth spine over yellow boards with gilt facsimile signature, untrimmed fore-edge |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, 223 pages, navy cloth spine over yellow boards with gilt facsimile signature, untrimmed fore-edge. Identify by the absence of any later-printing statement on the copyright page and a matching first-issue dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte Press (1965) is the true first; Weidenfeld & Nicolson issued the first UK edition the same year (192 pages, blue cloth).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints are indicated on the copyright page; confirm there is no later-printing line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Voices of a Summer Day* by Irwin Shaw a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/voices-of-a-summer-day
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.