# Is "Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down" by Ishmael Reed a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down by Ishmael Reed (Doubleday, 1969) is identified by: First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1969, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. True first is the 1969 Doubleday hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1969, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page
- Reed's second novel, following The Freelance Pallbearers
- Bound in beige cloth boards with a yellow cloth spine lettered in red
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (not clipped); a price present on the flap is one confirmation of the trade first
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ishmael Reed |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1969, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1969, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. Reed's second novel, following The Freelance Pallbearers. Bound in beige cloth boards with a yellow cloth spine lettered in red. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (not clipped); a price present on the flap is one confirmation of the trade first.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1969 Doubleday hardcover. A simultaneous Doubleday softcover issue also appeared; the clothbound trade first with 'First Edition' on the copyright page and a priced jacket is the collected form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Doubleday book-club issues of the period carry a blind-stamp to the rear board and lack a printed jacket price; not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down* by Ishmael Reed a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/yellow-back-radio-broke-down
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.