# Is "Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1922) is identified by: First issue, first state has the textual error 'Purdy' for 'Lyte' on page 49 (line 4), with 'my fellow human' on the following line; this reading was corrected in later printings. True US first; precedes the UK Cape edition of 1922.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First issue, first state has the textual error 'Purdy' for 'Lyte' on page 49 (line 4), with 'my fellow human' on the following line; this reading was corrected in later printings
- Copyright page carries the first-printing statement 'Published September, 1922'
- Bound in dark blue cloth stamped in orange on spine and front board
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sinclair Lewis |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York |
| Year | 1922 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First issue, first state has the textual error 'Purdy' for 'Lyte' on page 49 (line 4), with 'my fellow human' on the following line; this… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First issue, first state has the textual error 'Purdy' for 'Lyte' on page 49 (line 4), with 'my fellow human' on the following line; this reading was corrected in later printings. Copyright page carries the first-printing statement 'Published September, 1922'. Bound in dark blue cloth stamped in orange on spine and front board.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Cape edition of 1922. The page 49 'Purdy' for 'Lyte' reading is the standard point distinguishing the first issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club book. Later printings add additional-printing statements on the copyright page and correct the page 49 reading.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Babbitt* by Sinclair Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/babbitt
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.