# Is "God's Favorite" by Neil Simon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of God's Favorite by Neil Simon (Random House, 1975) is identified by: Random House, New York, 1975, stating First Edition on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards with the printed price present on the front flap of the dust jacket. The US Random House hardcover of 1975 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House, New York, 1975, stating First Edition on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards with the printed price present on the front flap of the dust jacket
- Subtitled A New Comedy
- Simon's comic reworking of the Book of Job, which opened on Broadway in December 1974 ahead of the 1975 book
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Simon |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House, New York, 1975, stating First Edition on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards with the printed price present on the front… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House, New York, 1975, stating First Edition on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards with the printed price present on the front flap of the dust jacket. Subtitled A New Comedy; Simon's comic reworking of the Book of Job, which opened on Broadway in December 1974 ahead of the 1975 book.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover of 1975 is the true first edition. No prior UK or Canadian precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club edition exists. It lacks the flap price, is usually on lighter boards, and typically carries a blind-stamped mark on the rear board; the trade first states First Edition and retains the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *God's Favorite* by Neil Simon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gods-favorite
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.