# Is "Bernard Clare" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bernard Clare by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1946) is identified by: First printing, in pictorial dust jacket. US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1946.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, in pictorial dust jacket
- First issue lacks the tipped-in disclaimer slip later inserted at the dedication leaf; copies with that slip tipped in represent a later state
- First book of the Bernard Carr trilogy; because a living person named Bernard Clare objected to the name, the protagonist and series were subsequently renamed Bernard Carr in later printings and the two sequels
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, in pictorial dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, in pictorial dust jacket. First issue lacks the tipped-in disclaimer slip later inserted at the dedication leaf; copies with that slip tipped in represent a later state. First book of the Bernard Carr trilogy; because a living person named Bernard Clare objected to the name, the protagonist and series were subsequently renamed Bernard Carr in later printings and the two sequels.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1946.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Vanguard indicated subsequent printings on the copyright page; a true first printing carries no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bernard Clare* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bernard-clare
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.