# Is "Ronald Rabbit Is a Dirty Old Man" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ronald Rabbit Is a Dirty Old Man by Lawrence Block (Bernard Geis Associates, 1971) is identified by: First edition, first printing under Block's own name, Bernard Geis Associates, New York, 1971. US Bernard Geis Associates true first, published under Lawrence Block's own name.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing under Block's own name, Bernard Geis Associates, New York, 1971
- Bound in red paper-covered boards over a yellow cloth spine, lettered in black
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed front-flap price and carries no later-printing statement; a comic epistolary standalone told in letters
- A genuinely scarce title, as Bernard Geis Associates went into bankruptcy around the time of publication
- Publisher imprint reads Bernard Geis Associates
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | Bernard Geis Associates |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing under Block's own name, Bernard Geis Associates, New York, 1971 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing under Block's own name, Bernard Geis Associates, New York, 1971. Bound in red paper-covered boards over a yellow cloth spine, lettered in black. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed front-flap price and carries no later-printing statement; a comic epistolary standalone told in letters. A genuinely scarce title, as Bernard Geis Associates went into bankruptcy around the time of publication.

## Is this the true first?
US Bernard Geis Associates true first, published under Lawrence Block's own name. A scarce standalone comic epistolary novel; the firm's collapse near the time of publication limited the print run.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition confirmed; verify the trade first by the red boards with yellow cloth spine and the priced first-issue jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ronald Rabbit Is a Dirty Old Man* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ronald-rabbit-is-a-dirty-old-man
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.