# Is "A Note on Literary Criticism" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Note on Literary Criticism by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1936) is identified by: First edition, first printing, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1936; a volume of literary-critical essays defending Marxist literary criticism, issued in cloth with a printed dust jacket. US first edition (Vanguard Press, 1936).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1936; a volume of literary-critical essays defending Marxist literary criticism, issued in cloth with a printed dust jacket
- A pre-publication state also exists as unbound (sewn) advance signatures preceding the bound trade issue
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1936; a volume of literary-critical essays defending Marxist… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1936; a volume of literary-critical essays defending Marxist literary criticism, issued in cloth with a printed dust jacket. A pre-publication state also exists as unbound (sewn) advance signatures preceding the bound trade issue.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Vanguard Press, 1936). This is the true first. An advance state of unbound sewn signatures is recorded, preceding the finished bound copies.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry printing statements not present on the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Note on Literary Criticism* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-note-on-literary-criticism
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.