# Is "An American Dream Girl" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of An American Dream Girl by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1950) is identified by: First edition, first printing of this short-story collection; the title page reads An American Dream Girl and Other Stories, gathering roughly twenty-one stories. US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1950.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing of this short-story collection; the title page reads An American Dream Girl and Other Stories, gathering roughly twenty-one stories
- Issued in cloth with the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing of this short-story collection; the title page reads An American Dream Girl and Other Stories, gathering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing of this short-story collection; the title page reads An American Dream Girl and Other Stories, gathering roughly twenty-one stories. Issued in cloth with the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1950.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A second printing of the first edition exists; Vanguard indicated later printings on the copyright page, so a true first printing carries no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *An American Dream Girl* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/an-american-dream-girl
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.