# Is "A Death in the Family" by James Agee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Death in the Family by James Agee (McDowell, Obolensky, 1957) is identified by: McDowell, Obolensky first, first printing: the title page is printed in blue ink, and the text reads 'walking' for 'waking' on page 80 (the first-issue error). US McDowell, Obolensky 1957 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- McDowell, Obolensky first, first printing: the title page is printed in blue ink, and the text reads 'walking' for 'waking' on page 80 (the first-issue error)
- Blue cloth lettered in silver, with a green top-stain; first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Published posthumously; awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1958
- Publisher imprint reads McDowell, Obolensky
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Agee |
| Publisher | McDowell, Obolensky |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | McDowell, Obolensky first, first printing: the title page is printed in blue ink, and the text reads 'walking' for 'waking' on page 80 (the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
McDowell, Obolensky first, first printing: the title page is printed in blue ink, and the text reads 'walking' for 'waking' on page 80 (the first-issue error). Blue cloth lettered in silver, with a green top-stain; first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap. Published posthumously; awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1958.

## Is this the true first?
US McDowell, Obolensky 1957 is the true first. The two reliable first-printing points are the blue-inked title page and the 'walking'-for-'waking' typo on page 80; later states correct the typo and drop the blue title page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and book-club copies correct the page-80 reading to 'waking' and lack the blue title page; book-club copies may also show a blind-stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Death in the Family* by James Agee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-death-in-the-family
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.