# Is "Arouse and Beware" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Arouse and Beware by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1936) is identified by: First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1936; Civil War escape novel, 332 pages. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1936).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1936
- Civil War escape novel, 332 pages
- A first is identified by the 1936 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page
- Issued in a red, white and blue pictorial dust jacket, which in the correct state retains its printed price; the spine is prone to sunfading
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1936 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1936; Civil War escape novel, 332 pages. A first is identified by the 1936 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. Issued in a red, white and blue pictorial dust jacket, which in the correct state retains its printed price; the spine is prone to sunfading.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1936). The UK first followed from Victor Gollancz, London, in 1937, published under the same title 'Arouse and Beware.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and paperback editions exist (e.g., a 1958 Corgi softcover); confirm no additional-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Arouse and Beware* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/arouse-and-beware
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.