The points of issue
The true first is the signed limited edition, numbered and limited to 500 copies on handmade paper, signed by the author, quarter-bound in white buckram and blue boards with a paper spine label, top edges gilt, with an extra spine label tipped in, issued in glassine within a blue cardboard slipcase. The first trade edition is the second printing: it is so identified on the copyright page and was issued in orange lettering on blue boards in a dust jacket. Lewis declined the Pulitzer for this novel.
Is this the true first?
US Harcourt, Brace 1925 is the true first, with precedence belonging to the 500-copy signed limited edition on handmade paper. The trade edition follows and its copyright page identifies it as the first trade edition (effectively the second printing).
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap reprints are clearly marked and later. No major book-club edition of note.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Arrowsmith a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: The true first is the signed limited edition, numbered and limited to 500 copies on handmade paper, signed by the author, quarter-bound in white buckram and blue boards with a paper spine label, top edges gilt, with an extra spine label tipped in, issued in glassine within a blue cardboard slipcase. The first trade edition is the second printing: it is so identified on the copyright page and was issued in orange lettering on blue boards in a dust jacket. Lewis declined the Pulitzer for this novel.
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. US Harcourt, Brace 1925 is the true first, with precedence belonging to the 500-copy signed limited edition on handmade paper. The trade edition follows and its copyright page identifies it as the first trade edition (effectively the second printing).
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Grosset & Dunlap reprints are clearly marked and later. No major book-club edition of note.
I have a first edition of Arrowsmith — 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.