# Is "Chapter Two" by Neil Simon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Chapter Two by Neil Simon (Random House, 1979) is identified by: Random House, New York, 1979. The US Random House hardcover of 1979 is the true first edition; there is no prior UK or Canadian precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House, New York, 1979
- Quarter black cloth over white paper boards, the front board decorated in blind, spine lettered in silver, in the pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap
- The trade first states First Edition on the copyright page with no later-printing indicators
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Simon |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House, New York, 1979 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House, New York, 1979. Quarter black cloth over white paper boards, the front board decorated in blind, spine lettered in silver, in the pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap. The trade first states First Edition on the copyright page with no later-printing indicators.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover of 1979 is the true first edition; there is no prior UK or Canadian precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club edition is documented and common. It lacks the printed flap price, is on lighter/thinner boards, and typically carries a blind-stamped mark (dot or square) on the rear board; the trade first states First Edition on the copyright page and retains the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Chapter Two* by Neil Simon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/chapter-two
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.