# Is "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (The Viking Press, New York, 1945) is identified by: First edition, first printing (published January 1945): the diagnostic precedence point is the binding color — light buff/tan cloth is the first state; canary/yellow cloth is the later second state. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing (published January 1945): the diagnostic precedence point is the binding color — light buff/tan cloth is the first state; canary/yellow cloth is the later second state
- Lettered in blue on spine and front cover, with a black top stain
- First-issue dust jacket is priced and carries the Arthur Hawkins Jr. pictorial design
- About 2,500 copies in the first-state buff binding
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Steinbeck |
| Publisher | The Viking Press, New York |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing (published January 1945): the diagnostic precedence point is the binding color — light buff/tan cloth is the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing (published January 1945): the diagnostic precedence point is the binding color — light buff/tan cloth is the first state; canary/yellow cloth is the later second state. Lettered in blue on spine and front cover, with a black top stain. First-issue dust jacket is priced and carries the Arthur Hawkins Jr. pictorial design. About 2,500 copies in the first-state buff binding.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition. The first-state binding color (buff/tan) is the key precedence point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book club edition. The later state changes the binding to canary yellow cloth; later jackets are repriced.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cannery Row* by John Steinbeck a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cannery-row
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.