# Is "A Childhood: The Biography of a Place" by Harry Crews a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews (Harper & Row, 1978) is identified by: Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering; 171 pp.; dust jacket priced 8.95 on the front flap; number line present and ending in 1 on the copyright page (Harper & Row first-printing tell). The US Harper & Row 1978 edition is the true first of this memoir.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering
- 171 pp.; dust jacket priced 8.95 on the front flap; number line present and ending in 1 on the copyright page (Harper & Row first-printing tell)
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harry Crews |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Quarter green cloth over yellow paper boards with green spine lettering; 171 pp.; dust jacket priced 8.95 on the front flap; number line present and ending in 1 on the copyright page (Harper & Row first-printing tell).

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row 1978 edition is the true first of this memoir.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the printed jacket flap price, often show a blind stamp to the rear board, and do not carry the complete number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Childhood: The Biography of a Place* by Harry Crews a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-childhood-the-biography-of-a-place
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.