# Is "California Suite" by Neil Simon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of California Suite by Neil Simon (Random House, 1977) is identified by: Random House, New York, 1977. The US Random House hardcover of 1977 is the true first edition, published March 1977, with no prior UK or Canadian precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House, New York, 1977
- Cloth-backed boards in a dust jacket; the trade first edition states First Edition on the copyright page and retains the printed price on the front jacket flap (present regardless of any later clipping)
- An octavo of about 118 pages, this is the published script of the four-part comedy set in a Beverly Hills hotel suite, its couples arriving from London, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Simon |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House, New York, 1977 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House, New York, 1977. Cloth-backed boards in a dust jacket; the trade first edition states First Edition on the copyright page and retains the printed price on the front jacket flap (present regardless of any later clipping). An octavo of about 118 pages, this is the published script of the four-part comedy set in a Beverly Hills hotel suite, its couples arriving from London, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover of 1977 is the true first edition, published March 1977, with no prior UK or Canadian precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Random House Book Club edition of 1977 exists and circulates widely; it lacks the printed flap price, typically carries a blind-stamped mark to the rear board, and omits the stated First Edition, whereas the trade first states First Edition and keeps the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *California Suite* by Neil Simon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/california-suite
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.