In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, First Trade Edition, First Printing, in Original Dust Jacket, 1965

Capote, Truman, In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences. New York: Random House, Inc., [1965]. First trade edition, first printing. Octavo. Original dust jacket and publisher’s burgundy cloth boards. 

This is a first trade edition printing of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The book was published by Random House in 1965 and is presented here in its original burgundy cloth boards and dust jacket. The contents of this book first appeared in a slightly different form in The New Yorker, before being officially published in book form in 1965. There were 500 copies of the first edition that were specially bound and signed by Capote, making this the first trade edition. In Cold Blood was simultaneously printed out of both New York and Toronto, Canada in the first year of its publication. Capote's masterpiece, In Cold Blood is considered by many to be one of the most important books of nonfiction written by an American in the twentieth century. 

Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1924. He was educated in both New York and Connecticut and worked in the Art Department of The New Yorker. He reached his peak of literary success with In Cold Blood, in which he combined the dialogue and narrative of a novel with the truth of a nonfiction piece. Capote learned of the ‘quadruple murder,’ a true crime that was committed in Kansas, by reading about it in The New York Times. Before the killers were caught, Capote traveled to Kansas with childhood friend Nelle Harper Lee in order to compile first-hand testimonies and investigator notes from the crimes.

Capote spent six years developing the story told of In Cold Blood by combining various accounts from the incidents into a cohesive crime story. The work was an instant success after publishing, and was read by critics as a pioneering example of true crime literature.

CONDITION:

First trade edition, first printing. Octavo. Fine condition. Maroon cloth boards, gilt front initials and gilt spine. Miniscule signs of bumping along bottom, very mild toning. Black top edge. Interior pages are healthy and bright. 

Fine jacket. Unclipped, with $5.95 price and publisher’s “1/66”code in bottom corner of front flap. Stated jacket design by S. Neil Fujita. “Publishers of the American College Dictionary and the Modern Library” on rear flap. Mild toning and chipping, ¾ inch tear along back spine.

Book Dimensions: 8 ¾” H x 6” W x 1 ½” D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.