# Is "A Piece of My Heart" by Richard Ford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Piece of My Heart by Richard Ford (Harper & Row, 1976) is identified by: The US Harper & Row (New York, 1976) hardcover is the true first edition and Richard Ford's first book. US Harper & Row 1976 precedes all other editions and is the true first; the first UK edition (Collins Harvill, London) did not appear until 1987, and the Vintage Contemporaries paperback (1985) is a later 'first thus.' Census precedence claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Harper & Row (New York, 1976) hardcover is the true first edition and Richard Ford's first book
- Following Harper & Row's post-1975 practice, the first printing carries 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page together with a complete number line descending to 1; later printings drop the terminal digit while the imprint sometimes fails to remove the statement, so the number line is the decisive point
- It is bound quarter in brown cloth over brown paper-covered boards, the spine titled in copper, with a maroon top-stain
- 297 pp., octavo
- The pictorial dust jacket (art by Wendell Minor) is a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Ford |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Harper & Row (New York, 1976) hardcover is the true first edition and Richard Ford's first book |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US Harper & Row (New York, 1976) hardcover is the true first edition and Richard Ford's first book. Following Harper & Row's post-1975 practice, the first printing carries 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page together with a complete number line descending to 1; later printings drop the terminal digit while the imprint sometimes fails to remove the statement, so the number line is the decisive point. It is bound quarter in brown cloth over brown paper-covered boards, the spine titled in copper, with a maroon top-stain; 297 pp., octavo. The pictorial dust jacket (art by Wendell Minor) is a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row 1976 precedes all other editions and is the true first; the first UK edition (Collins Harvill, London) did not appear until 1987, and the Vintage Contemporaries paperback (1985) is a later 'first thus.' Census precedence claim confirmed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies are reported without a price present at the jacket flap; the priced trade jacket combined with 'FIRST EDITION' and the full number line to 1 distinguishes the trade first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Piece of My Heart* by Richard Ford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-piece-of-my-heart
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.