The points of issue
Published September 1923. The limitation comprises 220 signed copies on Borzoi all-rag paper (20 lettered A–T and 200 numbered 1–200), plus the trade printing of 20,000 copies on English featherweight paper. Trade first is bound in green cloth lettered in gilt with distinctive green-and-purple patterned endpapers and title page printed in black and green; Knopf borzoi imprint. Knopf firsts of this period do not carry a printed 'first edition' statement, so the first is identified by the absence of any later-printing notice together with the borzoi imprint and the points above.
Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1924. The signed Borzoi-rag limited copies (20 lettered, 200 numbered) are the deluxe first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue. Later printings add impression notices on the copyright page.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Lost Lady a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Published September 1923. The limitation comprises 220 signed copies on Borzoi all-rag paper (20 lettered A–T and 200 numbered 1–200), plus the trade printing of 20,000 copies on English featherweight paper. Trade first is bound in green cloth lettered in gilt with distinctive green-and-purple patterned endpapers and title page printed in black and green; Knopf borzoi imprint. Knopf firsts of this period do not carry a printed 'first edition' statement, so the first is identified by the absence of any later-printing notice together with the borzoi imprint a
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1924. The signed Borzoi-rag limited copies (20 lettered, 200 numbered) are the deluxe first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club issue. Later printings add impression notices on the copyright page.
I have a first edition of A Lost Lady — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.