# Is "By Love Possessed" by James Gould Cozzens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1957) is identified by: First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Harcourt's practice of the period, together with a printing/date code on the copyright page. US first edition (Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1957); the UK edition followed from Longmans, Green in 1957.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Harcourt's practice of the period, together with a printing/date code on the copyright page
- Harcourt used a sequential letter (printing) plus month-number plus two-digit-year code: the true first printing carries the code A.8.57, indicating the first printing of August 1957
- Later printings advance the leading letter and month, and dealer copies are recorded with codes such as B.8.57 (second printing, August 1957) and D.9.57 (fourth printing, September 1957), which are not the first
- Bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine
- The first-issue dust jacket is predominantly white with a clock design and red titling; a correct first jacket retains the printed price on the flap (price present, price-clipping is a condition point, not an edition point)
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Gould Cozzens |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Company |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Harcourt's practice of the period, together with a printing/date code on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Harcourt's practice of the period, together with a printing/date code on the copyright page. Harcourt used a sequential letter (printing) plus month-number plus two-digit-year code: the true first printing carries the code A.8.57, indicating the first printing of August 1957. Later printings advance the leading letter and month, and dealer copies are recorded with codes such as B.8.57 (second printing, August 1957) and D.9.57 (fourth printing, September 1957), which are not the first. Bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. The first-issue dust jacket is predominantly white with a clock design and red titling; a correct first jacket retains the printed price on the flap (price present, price-clipping is a condition point, not an edition point).

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1957); the UK edition followed from Longmans, Green in 1957. The US Harcourt printing precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club issue lacks the copyright-page printing code and states no First Edition; it typically shows a blind-stamp dot or square to the lower rear board and carries no printed price on the jacket flap. The trade first edition states First Edition on the copyright page and carries the A.8.57 code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *By Love Possessed* by James Gould Cozzens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/by-love-possessed
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.