# Is "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" by Raymond Carver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver (McGraw-Hill, 1976) is identified by: First printing has a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page and no later-printing statement. The US McGraw-Hill edition is the true first; the UK edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page and no later-printing statement
- Issued in beige boards with a blue cloth spine, blue topstain and orange endpapers; the first-state jacket carries its printed price
- Carver's first major story collection
- Publisher imprint reads McGraw-Hill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Raymond Carver |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page and no later-printing statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page and no later-printing statement. Issued in beige boards with a blue cloth spine, blue topstain and orange endpapers; the first-state jacket carries its printed price. Carver's first major story collection.

## Is this the true first?
The US McGraw-Hill edition is the true first; the UK edition follows. This collection precedes Cathedral and is Carver's breakout book.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note; later reprints are Vintage Contemporaries paperbacks with a different design and ISBN.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?* by Raymond Carver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/will-you-please-be-quiet-please
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.