# Is "Welcome to the Monkey House" by Kurt Vonnegut a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut (Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence, 1968) is identified by: First hardcover states 'First printing' (given as 'First Delacorte printing') on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket priced 5.95. True first hardcover is the 1968 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First hardcover states 'First printing' (given as 'First Delacorte printing') on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket priced 5.95
- Collection of twenty-five stories; eleven were drawn from 'Canary in a Cat House.'
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First hardcover states 'First printing' (given as 'First Delacorte printing') on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket priced 5.95 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First hardcover states 'First printing' (given as 'First Delacorte printing') on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket priced 5.95. Collection of twenty-five stories; eleven were drawn from 'Canary in a Cat House.'

## Is this the true first?
True first hardcover is the 1968 Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence edition. The UK first was published by Jonathan Cape in 1969.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition exists, blind-stamped and with an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Welcome to the Monkey House* by Kurt Vonnegut a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/welcome-to-the-monkey-house
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.