# Is "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice" by Shunryu Suzuki a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki (John Weatherhill, Inc., 1970) is identified by: First printing is identified by the colophon reading "First edition, 1970" with no later-printing notation; the book is stated a first edition. True first is the 1970 Weatherhill hardcover; Weatherhill was a US/Japan imprint (New York & Tokyo), so the "co-imprint" in the census note simply reflects the publisher's dual address, not two competing editions.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing is identified by the colophon reading "First edition, 1970" with no later-printing notation; the book is stated a first edition
- Issued in cloth with a priced pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap), roughly 134 pp., edited by Trudy Dixon with an introduction by Richard Baker
- A useful confirming tell: the first edition does NOT contain Huston Smith's preface, which was added only to later (2006-era) reissues
- Confirmed against two independent sources (Black Cat Hill Books dealer description plus corroborating listings for the "First edition, 1970" colophon)
- Publisher imprint reads John Weatherhill, Inc.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Shunryu Suzuki |
| Publisher | John Weatherhill, Inc. |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing is identified by the colophon reading "First edition, 1970" with no later-printing notation; the book is stated a first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing is identified by the colophon reading "First edition, 1970" with no later-printing notation; the book is stated a first edition. Issued in cloth with a priced pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap), roughly 134 pp., edited by Trudy Dixon with an introduction by Richard Baker. A useful confirming tell: the first edition does NOT contain Huston Smith's preface, which was added only to later (2006-era) reissues. Confirmed against two independent sources (Black Cat Hill Books dealer description plus corroborating listings for the "First edition, 1970" colophon).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1970 Weatherhill hardcover; Weatherhill was a US/Japan imprint (New York & Tokyo), so the "co-imprint" in the census note simply reflects the publisher's dual address, not two competing editions. The first PAPERBACK followed in 1973. No earlier or competing first-edition claimant.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later-issue confusion comes from the 1973 first paperback and the widely sold 2006 reissue (which adds the Huston Smith preface and revises front matter); its presence marks a later edition, not the 1970 first. No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice* by Shunryu Suzuki a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/zen-mind-beginners-mind-informal-talks-on-zen-meditation-and
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.