MacKinlay Kantor First Editions

• Diversey — 1928 · Coward-McCannFirst printing identified by the Coward-McCann torch colophon on the copyright page; on later printings the torch portion of the colophon was removed, so its presence is the first-printing point. Kantor's debut novel, set in Chicago, and notably the first novel issued by the newly founded Coward-McCann. The first-issue dust jacket lists Coward-McCann titles, including this one, on the rear panel and should carry…. US first (Coward-McCann, New York, 1928); scarce. No prior UK or other precedence. Later printings exist and are distinguished by removal of the torch portion of the Coward-McCann colophon on the copyright page; the intact torch colophon is the first-printing point.
• El Goes South — 1930 · Coward-McCannFirst edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1930; orange cloth lettered in black, 298 pages. Coward-McCann firsts of this period carry no number line, so a first is identified by the 1930 title-page date with the publisher imprint and the absence of any later-printing or reprint notice on the copyright page. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1930). Later printings and reprints exist; verify the copyright page shows no additional-printing statement.
• The Jaybird — 1932 · Coward-McCannFirst edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1932; blue cloth-covered boards with white titles on front and spine, 294 pages. No number line was used; a first shows the 1932 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1932). Reprints exist; confirm the copyright page carries no additional-printing statement.
• Long Remember — 1934 · Coward-McCannFirst edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1934; Kantor's first Civil War novel, set at Gettysburg, 411 pages, dust jacket art by Will Crawford. A first is identified by the 1934 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. Note that the title was a Literary Guild selection, so a separate book-club issue exists that should not be mistaken for the trade first. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1934). The UK first was published by Selwyn & Blount, London, not Gollancz. A Literary Guild book-club edition and a Grosset & Dunlap reprint exist; both are later and distinct from the Coward-McCann trade first.
• The Voice of Bugle Ann — 1935 · Coward-McCannFirst edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1935; short novel (a Missouri foxhound story), tan cloth, 128 pages. A first is identified by the 1935 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1935). The UK edition was published by Selwyn & Blount, London (1935), not Gollancz 1936. Later printings and a photoplay/movie-tie-in reprint exist (the 1936 film starred Lionel Barrymore); confirm no additional-printing statement on the copyright page.
• Arouse and Beware — 1936 · Coward-McCannFirst 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. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1936). The UK first followed from Victor Gollancz, London, in 1937, published under the same title 'Arouse and Beware.'. Later reprints and paperback editions exist (e.g., a 1958 Corgi softcover); confirm no additional-printing statement on the copyright page.
• The Romance of Rosy Ridge — 1937 · Coward-McCannFirst edition, first printing issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1937; short novel of post-Civil War Missouri, 96 pages, illustrated by Will Crawford, beige cloth-covered boards with brown spine titles. A first shows the 1937 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1937). Later printings exist; confirm the copyright page carries no additional-printing statement.
• Here Lies Holly Springs — 1938 · Pynson PrintersTrue first is the Pynson Printers signed limited edition: a small quarto designed by Elmer Adler, printed on Italian handmade paper, with a title-page drawing and several text illustrations by Donald McKay. Issued in a small printing (roughly 300 copies) as a Christmas keepsake, typically signed by the author. The first edition was published by Pynson Printers, New York, not Coward-McCann. It is a privately printed signed limited keepsake, not a trade book. Because the first appearance was a small signed limited, there is no ordinary trade first printing under Coward-McCann; later collected or anthologized appearances are not the first edition.
• The Noise of Their Wings — 1938 · Coward-McCannFirst printing in publisher's cloth, with the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page and no statement of later printing on the copyright page. The novel centers on one man's obsession with restoring the extinct passenger pigeon. US first edition. Kantor was an American author publishing with his US house; a Robert Hale edition was issued in Britain. The Coward-McCann New York printing is the true first. Later reprints exist; the UK Robert Hale issue should not be confused with the US first.
• Valedictory — 1939 · Coward-McCannFirst printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. A short work illustrated by Amos Sewell, the story told through the eyes of a retiring school janitor on graduation evening. US first edition. Later reprints exist; only the 1939 Coward-McCann printing is the first.
• Cuba Libre — 1940 · Coward-McCannFirst printing in publisher's cloth with the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. A short novel of turn-of-the-century Cuba, illustrated by Ruth Lepper. US first edition. Later reprints exist; only the 1940 Coward-McCann printing is the first.
• Gentle Annie — 1942 · Coward-McCannFirst printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Subtitled a Western novel; the basis for the 1944 MGM film. US first edition. The hardcover Coward-McCann printing precedes the paperback reprints. A Popular Library paperback reprint followed and is not the first edition; the 1944 film tie-in does not change the hardcover's primacy.
• Happy Land — 1943 · Coward-McCannFirst book edition in publisher's cloth (commonly maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering), Coward-McCann imprint on the title page. A short World War II home-front story. Note that the work first appeared as a magazine serial before book publication. The Coward-McCann book is the first edition in book form. The text first appeared earlier in serial form in the Saturday Evening Post; a small author's gift issue of about 1,250 copies was also produced around this publication, so first-printing identification on this title can be unusually nuanced. Later reprints exist. Because of the author's gift issue and the prior serial appearance, the magazine serial and the gift issue should not be conflated with the standard trade first.
• Author's Choice — 1944 · Coward-McCannFirst printing, Coward-McCann, New York, 1944, of this collection titled 'Author's Choice: 40 Stories' — forty selected stories, each accompanied by the author's own notes and commentary on why the story was written and how it was received. Approximately 497 pages, bound in black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, with illustrated (pictorial) endpapers front and rear, issued in a priced pictorial dust…. US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York, 1944. Later printings exist; copies lacking the dust jacket and reprint issues are common. Confirm the Coward-McCann 1944 imprint and the priced first-issue jacket.
• Glory for Me — 1945 · Coward-McCannFirst printing of the novel in verse that became the basis for the film 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' Coward-McCann, New York, 1945; octavo, 268 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered and decorated in gilt. The first-issue dust jacket is blue and white lettered in red and carries the printed price on the front flap (present, not clipped); the spine panel is almost always found faded, so a bright…. US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York in 1945. Reprints noted; confirm the first-issue blue-and-white jacket with its printed price present and that no later-printing notice appears on the copyright page.
• But Look, the Morn — 1947 · Coward-McCannFirst printing of this autobiographical account of the author's Iowa childhood (full title 'But Look, the Morn: The Story of a Childhood'). Coward-McCann, New York, 1947. US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York, 1947. References to 1939/1941 reflect composition dates, not a published edition. Reprints noted.
• The Good Family — 1949 · Coward-McCannFirst printing of this novel following Martha and Larry Barden and their twins. Coward-McCann, New York, 1949. US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York. Reprints noted; confirm the dust jacket and absence of any later-printing notice.
• Wicked Water — 1949 · Random HouseRandom House first edition, identified by 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; this notation is removed on later printings. Subtitle 'An American Primitive.' Copyright 1948, first released in the United States January 1949. US first edition; published by Random House. Dealers describe the first as 'First Edition; First Printing.'. Reprints exist and omit the stated 'FIRST EDITION' line; book-club and later issues are reported, so confirm the stated-first notation.
• Lee and Grant at Appomattox — 1950 · Random HouseFirst edition in the Landmark Books series, number 8, illustrated by Donald McKay, about 175 pages. On the true first the dust jacket back panel lists no Landmark title numbered higher than this volume, and the copyright page bears no later printing notice. US first edition, Random House Landmark Books, New York, 1950. A later World Landmark Books reissue exists and is not the first; later Random House printings list higher-numbered Landmark titles on the jacket.
• Signal Thirty-Two — 1950 · Random HouseRandom House first edition of this NYPD novel, identified by 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; the notation is removed on later printings. The first-issue dust jacket carries art by the author's wife, Irene Layne Kantor, and its printed price, unclipped. US first edition, published by Random House in 1950. Dealers describe the first as 'First Edition; First Printing.'. A book-club edition exists and is offered as such by dealers; the BCE lacks the stated 'FIRST EDITION' line, is typically printed on thinner bulk with a blind-stamp to the rear board, and its jacket bears no printed price. Confirm the stated-first notation and the priced jacket.
• Don't Touch Me — 1951 · Random HouseTrue first edition has the words First Printing stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice. A hardcover of 243 pages issued in cloth with a pictorial (photographic) dust jacket, which on a first-issue copy should retain the printed price on the flap. US first edition, Random House, New York, 1951. A Korean War air-war novel of 243 pages. Later printings drop the First Printing statement; a Bantam paperback edition followed.
• Gettysburg — 1952 · Random HouseFirst edition in the Landmark Books series, number 23, illustrated by Donald McKay. On the true first the dust jacket back panel lists no Landmark title numbered higher than this volume, and the copyright page carries no later printing notice. US first edition, Random House Landmark Books, New York, 1952. Later Random House printings and the World Landmark reprint line are distinguished by higher-numbered titles listed on the jacket and by later imprint statements.
• Warwhoop — 1952 · Random HouseTrue first edition, with 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page in the usual Random House manner. The full title is Warwhoop: Two Short Novels of the Frontier; Random House, New York, 1952, approximately 246 pages, issued in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price. US first edition, Random House, New York, 1952. A Bantam paperback printing appeared in 1953; that and all later printings lack the stated 'First Printing' and are reprints.
• The Daughter of Bugle Ann — 1953 · Random HouseTrue first edition has "First Printing" stated on the copyright page; about 122 pages, cloth-bound and issued in a pictorial dust jacket. Sequel to The Voice of Bugle Ann, continuing the story of the Missouri foxhound. US first edition, Random House, New York, 1953. The original dust jacket should retain its printed flap price. Later printings and reprints omit the stated "First Printing.".
• Andersonville — 1955 · The World Publishing CompanyWorld Publishing trade first: copyright page carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement. Thick octavo of roughly 767 pages in cloth, in a first-issue jacket that carries the printed retail price on the front flap. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1956. US World Publishing 1955 is the true first. A signed 'Stockade Edition' (limited) was also issued for a Civil War book club, distinct from the trade first; the trade point of issue is the 'FIRST EDITION' statement on the copyright page. Book-club copies are very common: they typically lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement, often show a blind-stamp on the rear board, and carry a jacket without the printed price.
• The Work of Saint Francis — 1958 · World PublishingFirst edition published by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1958, illustrated by Johannes Troyer; 107 pages in cloth with dust jacket. A standalone story. A first-issue jacket retains the printed cover price on the flap (present, not clipped). US first edition, World Publishing, Cleveland and New York, 1958, is the true first. Later printings and reprints follow the 1958 first; no significant book-club edition point recorded for this title.
• If the South Had Won the Civil War — 1961 · Bantam BooksFirst book form is the Bantam paperback original, Bantam number A2241, dated April 1961, a mass-market paperback of about 112 pages with black-and-white illustrations by Isa Barnett. An alternate-history piece expanded from its magazine appearance. The text first appeared in Look magazine in November 1960; the Bantam paperback original of April 1961 is the first book-form edition. Later hardcover reissues (including a 1960s Bantam-related hardcover and modern editions with added material by Harry Turtledove) are reprints, not the first book appearance.
• Spirit Lake — 1961 · The World Publishing CompanyFirst edition, World Publishing, Cleveland, 1961. Thick volume of roughly 957 pages in publisher's blue cloth with gilt spine titling, issued with a folding or full-page map. A sprawling historical novel of the 1857 Spirit Lake massacre in Iowa. US edition is the true first. The UK edition (W.H. Allen) followed in 1962. A Book-of-the-Month Club printing exists; it generally lacks the gilt spine weight of the trade issue and carries the usual club blindstamp to the rear board and no price on the jacket.
• Mission with LeMay (with Curtis LeMay) — 1965 · Doubleday & CompanyFull title is Mission with LeMay: My Story. First edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page (standard Doubleday convention of the period). A thick octavo of roughly 581 pages in blue cloth. Memoir of General Curtis E. LeMay written with Kantor. US Doubleday edition is the true first. Later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement from the copyright page.
• Story Teller — 1967 · Doubleday & CompanyFirst edition, Doubleday, Garden City, 1967, about 462 pages. States 'First Edition' on the copyright page per Doubleday convention. A collection of stories and autobiographical pieces. US Doubleday edition is the true first. Later printings omit the 'First Edition' statement from the copyright page.
• Beauty Beast — 1968 · G.P. Putnam's SonsFirst edition, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968, about 382 pages, in black cloth with gilt lettering and a red title field to the spine; dust jacket designed by John Sposato. A novel of slavery set on a Deep South plantation on the eve of the Civil War. US Putnam edition is the true first. A UK edition (Michael Joseph) followed. Later printings and the UK Michael Joseph issue are reprints, not the US first.
• The Children Sing — 1973 · Hawthorn BooksFirst printing of the Hawthorn Books edition, New York, 1973, in publisher's cloth with dust jacket. No distinctive textual issue points are documented for this title; identify the first by the Hawthorn imprint and 1973 date with no later-printing statements on the copyright page. US first edition, Hawthorn Books, 1973. This was among Kantor's last novels. Later printings and any reprints would carry later dates or printing statements; no notable book-club issue is documented for the first printing.
• Valley Forge — 1975 · M. Evans and CompanyTitle-page reads Valley Forge: A Novel. First edition, M. Evans and Company, 1975, about 339 pages. M. Evans first editions are identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a '1' present in the number line; no later-printing notice. A novel of the 1777-1778 Continental Army winter encampment, Kantor's last book. US M. Evans edition is the true first. Later printings remove the lowest digit from the number line and drop the 'First Edition' statement.

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