John P. Marquand First Editions

• The Unspeakable Gentleman — 1922 · Charles Scribner's SonsScribner's seal on the copyright page with "1922" on the title page identifies the first edition; Marquand's debut novel. Do not look for an "A": the Scribner capital-A first-edition code was not used until 1930. US first edition. Later printings lack the seal and/or note the printing.
• Four of a Kind — 1923 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing. The Scribner seal alone is not a reliable indicator: it appears on printings other than the first and was not used consistently to mark first editions, so do not rely on it. US first edition (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1923). An early Marquand collection of magazine fiction. Later printings are noted as such on the copyright page; presence or absence of the publisher's seal does not by itself establish a first printing.
• Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Mass. — 1925 · Minton, Balch & CompanyFirst printing carries no printing designation on the verso of the title page, which bears Marquand's full whimsical title, 'Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Masstts, first in the East, first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the western world.' Bound in original cloth. Biography of the eccentric Newburyport merchant, illustrated by Philip Kappel. US first edition (Minton, Balch & Company, New York, 1925); one of Marquand's only two works of non-fiction, published before The Late George Apley made his reputation. Later revised and reissued as Timothy Dexter Revisited in 1960. Subsequent printings are explicitly marked 'Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' and so on; the first carries no such statement.
• The Black Cargo — 1925 · Charles Scribner's SonsFirst printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing. The Scribner seal is not a dependable first-edition point for this period and should not be relied upon. US first edition (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1925). Serialized in the Saturday Evening Post in 1924 before book publication. Later printings carry a printing statement on the copyright page; the seal is not a reliable test of priority.
• Warning Hill — 1930 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by a 'Published [Month] 1930' statement on the copyright page with no later-printing notice; Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1930. Bound in bright yellow cloth with red and black stamping to the front board and spine, blue top stain, other edges deckled. First-state dust jacket illustrated by George Annand, with the printed price present on the flap and no later-printing indication.…. US first edition, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1930. This is not Marquand's first novel; it was preceded by The Unspeakable Gentleman (1922) and The Black Cargo (1925), though Warning Hill is an early work and among the first to draw on the stratified New England setting that defined his later fiction. Later printings are noted on the copyright page. In this period Little, Brown did not yet print the words 'First Edition' (that practice began around 1940), so identification rests on the 'Published [Month, Year]' statement, the absence of a later-printing line, and the first-state Annand jacket with its printed price.
• Haven's End — 1933 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by 'Published [Month] 1933' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing notice. Linked stories of a fictional Massachusetts coastal town. US first edition (Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1933). A later London edition followed in the 1930s. Later printings are noted on the copyright page; identification rests on the 'Published [Month, Year]' statement, as Little, Brown did not print 'First Edition' until about 1940.
• Ming Yellow — 1935 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by 'Published March 1935' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing notice. Bound in yellow cloth with blue lettering and decoration to the front board and spine. Adventure novel of a porcelain collector and a Chinese warlord. First-issue copies in the pictorial dust jacket should retain the printed price. US first edition (Little, Brown and Company, Boston, March 1935). The UK edition appeared later and does not have precedence. Later printings are noted on the copyright page; the documented first-printing point is the 'Published March 1935' statement, and the first appears in yellow cloth with blue front-board decoration.
• No Hero — 1935 · Little, Brown and CompanyTrue first is the US Little, Brown printing, 1935, identified by 'Published August, 1935' on the copyright page with no later-printing notice. The publisher's binding is yellow cloth with black lettering to the spine and black lettering to the front cover, in a pictorial dust jacket that should carry its printed price on an unclipped copy. This is the first Mr. Moto novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone; the…. US Little, Brown edition (1935), with 'Published August, 1935' on the copyright page, is the true first. The British edition, from Robert Hale, appeared later under the title Mr. Moto Takes a Hand. A still later US paperback reissue from Berkley used the title Your Turn, Mr. Moto. Both retitlings postdate the Little, Brown first and are not the true first. Later printings and retitled reissues are reprints, not the first edition. Grosset and Dunlap reprints also exist and lack the 'Published August, 1935' statement.
• Thank You, Mr. Moto — 1936 · Little, Brown and CompanyTrue first is the US Little, Brown printing, with the copyright-page statement Published May, 1936 and no later-printing notice. This is the second Mr. Moto novel. The first printing is genuinely scarce in a jacket because the trade printing was small. US Little, Brown edition (1936) is the true first. The first British edition was published by Herbert Jenkins in 1937, not by Robert Hale. Later printings are reprints; Grosset and Dunlap photoplay-style reprints exist and are not the first edition.
• The Late George Apley — 1937 · Little, Brown and CompanyThe first printing is identified by the text point Lovely Pearl on the first line of page 19. Publisher's blue cloth stamped in gilt. First-issue jacket (art by F. M. Rines) carries the printed price on the front flap and no later-printing slug. Pages often show faint vertical streaks from a printer malfunction common to this title. US Little, Brown 1937 true first, confirmed by the Lovely Pearl reading on the first line of page 19. Later printings carry a printing statement; reprints are clearly marked.
• Think Fast, Mr. Moto — 1937 · Little, Brown and CompanyTrue first is the US Little, Brown printing, with the copyright-page publication statement and no later-printing notice. This is the third Mr. Moto novel; the original binding is blue cloth lettered in red. US Little, Brown edition (1937) is the true first; the first British edition followed from Robert Hale in 1938. Later printings and photoplay-style reprints are reprints, not the first edition.
• Mr. Moto Is So Sorry — 1938 · Little, Brown and CompanyTrue first is the US Little, Brown printing, with the copyright-page statement Published August, 1938 and no later-printing notice. This is the fourth Mr. Moto novel; the original binding is green cloth lettered in red on spine and front cover. US Little, Brown edition (1938) is the true first; the first British edition followed from Robert Hale in 1939. Later printings are reprints, not the first edition.
• Wickford Point — 1939 · Little, Brown and CompanyTrue first is the first Little, Brown printing, identified by the copyright-page publication statement with no later-printing notice. Multiple printings were run in 1939, so the absence of any added printing line is the key point. Original plum cloth over boards with gilt lettering, top edge stained, deckle edges. US Little, Brown edition (1939) is the true first; the first British edition followed from Robert Hale in 1946. A Book-of-the-Month Club edition exists, identifiable by the board blind-stamp and the absence of the first-printing statement; later Little, Brown printings are likewise reprints.
• H.M. Pulham, Esquire — 1941 · Little, Brown and CompanyTwo early states exist: a presentation issue of about 950 copies preceding general sale, and the trade first printing with the copyright-page statement Published February, 1941 and no later-printing notice. The trade first is the one most collectors record as the first edition. US Little, Brown edition (1941) is the true first. The first British edition, from Robert Hale in 1942, was also titled H.M. Pulham, Esquire. The title Gone Tomorrow was only the magazine-serial title used in McCall's, not a separate book title. A Book-of-the-Month Club edition exists, identifiable by the board blind-stamp and the absence of the first-printing statement.
• Last Laugh, Mr. Moto — 1942 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice present. The fifth and final 1930s-the printed price Mr. Moto novel, published January 1942. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1942. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1943. Later printings and reprints exist; confirm the first-edition statement on the copyright page.
• So Little Time — 1943 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice present. The first issue is bound in tan cloth with a blue spine label and gilt lettering, with untrimmed pages and a red topstain, collating to [595] pages; the first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price and be unclipped. Because the book was reprinted rapidly, watch for…. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1943. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1944. A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists, identifiable by a blind-stamped impression (small dot or square) on the lower rear board near the spine; it is not the first edition.
• Repent in Haste — 1945 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition convention on the copyright page: from 1940 onward Little, Brown states "First Edition" (earlier printings can also be distinguished by a "Published (month, year)" line with later printings normally noted). Bound in orange cloth with navy lettering to the front board and spine, this short novel of love and marriage in the wartime Pacific was published…. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1945. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1949. Later printings and reprints exist; confirm the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page.
• B.F.'s Daughter — 1946 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1946, identified by the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page with no later-printing notice present. Bound in tan cloth with blue and gilt lettering and decoration to the spine; 439 pages, issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket. The jacket should retain its original printed price (present on an unclipped copy). US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1946. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1947 under the retitled 'Polly Fulton'. A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists, identifiable by a blind-stamped impression on the lower rear board near the spine and lacking the Little, Brown first-edition statement; it is not the first edition.
• Point of No Return — 1949 · Little, Brown and CompanyTwo first-issue states exist. A signed limited edition of 600 copies, signed on the limitation page, precedes the trade printing. The trade first printing carries the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page with no later-printing notice. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1949. The signed limited edition of 600 copies precedes the first trade edition; the limited issue is the earliest state. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1949. A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists, identifiable by a blind-stamped impression on the lower rear board near the spine; it is not the first edition.
• Melville Goodwin, USA — 1951 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice present. The book is a thick octavo of roughly 596 pages, bound in tan-to-beige cloth with a blue spine label and blue and gold decorative bands, issued in a pictorial, lettered dust jacket whose spine carries a red background prone to fading at the extremities; a first-issue jacket retains…. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1951; the novel was a National Book Award finalist. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1952. A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists, identifiable by a blind-stamped impression on the lower rear board near the spine; it is not the first edition and typically appears in a jacket with no printed price.
• Thirty Years — 1954 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, stated First Edition on the copyright page. A collection of Marquand's stories, articles and essays gathered in book form for the first time, with an Introduction by Clifton Fadiman. Gray cloth with black spine label and gilt lettering. US first (Boston/Toronto issue, Little, Brown). Later printings exist; verify the First Edition statement on the copyright page.
• Sincerely, Willis Wayde — 1955 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, with 'First Edition' stated and no later-printing notice. Trade issue bound in gray cloth with a blue title label/box and gilt lettering to the spine, in a George Salter dust-jacket design with the original printed price present on the flap. US first (Little, Brown, Boston, 1955), stated 'First Edition'. The British edition, distinguished by red cloth with gilt lettering, followed and does not precede the American printing. A Book-of-the-Month Club edition exists and is identified by the blind-stamped colophon (a small dot or blindstamp) on the rear board; the BOMC issue lacks the 'First Edition' statement.
• Life at Happy Knoll — 1957 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, stated First Edition. A set of linked epistolary country-club stories (originally serialized in Sports Illustrated), illustrated with line drawings. US first (Little, Brown, Boston/Toronto, 1957). Later printings exist; confirm the First Edition statement on the copyright page.
• Women and Thomas Harrow — 1958 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, published by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1958; a novel of roughly 497 pages. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped). Marquand's last novel published in his lifetime. US first (Little, Brown, Boston, 1958). A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists, identified by the blindstamped square or dot on the lower rear board and the absence of the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; distinguish it from the trade first, which states 'First Edition' and lacks the rear-board blindstamp.
• Timothy Dexter Revisited — 1960 · Little, Brown and CompanyFirst printing, stated First Edition. Beige cloth with red and gilt titling, red top-stain, illustrated endpapers, and line drawings by Philip Kappel. An expansion of Marquand's 1925 study of the Newburyport eccentric Timothy Dexter. US first-thus (Little, Brown, 1960), substantially reworking his 1925 book Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Massachusetts (Minton, Balch). Later printings exist; confirm the First Edition statement.

More Literary Fiction (US) & Award Winners shelves: John Steinbeck, John Updike, John Williams, John Wyndham, Jonathan Franzen, Jonathan Lethem.

← All authors · All genres · part of the First-Edition Identification resource.