# Is "B.F.'s Daughter" by John P. Marquand a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of B.F.'s Daughter by John P. Marquand (Little, Brown and Company, 1946) is identified by: First 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. US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1946.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First 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)
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John P. Marquand |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1946, identified by the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First 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).

## Is this the true first?
US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1946. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1947 under the retitled 'Polly Fulton'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *B.F.'s Daughter* by John P. Marquand a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bfs-daughter
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.