# Is "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate" by Robert A. Caro a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro (Alfred A. Knopf, 2002) is identified by: Knopf first printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to 1; a thick octavo of xxiv plus 1167 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed front-flap price. US true first edition (Knopf); the US edition precedes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf first printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to 1; a thick octavo of xxiv plus 1167 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed front-flap price
- Volume 3 of The Years of Lyndon Johnson
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert A. Caro |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf first printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to 1; a thick octavo of xxiv… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf first printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath a full number line descending to 1; a thick octavo of xxiv plus 1167 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed front-flap price. Volume 3 of The Years of Lyndon Johnson.

## Is this the true first?
US true first edition (Knopf); the US edition precedes. Awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2002 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings, when present, lack the jacket price and the 'First Edition' statement over an intact number line; the black-cloth trade first is identified by the priced jacket, the stated 'First Edition,' and the full number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate* by Robert A. Caro a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-master-of-the-senate
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.