The points of issue
First trade issue points (per the Cather Archive bibliography): NO topstain, and the misprints 'happned' on p.20 and 'suppper' present in early text; 1927 on title and copyright with Knopf's first-issue conventions. Three issues exist: 50 copies on Japan vellum (signed, numbered, full cream vellum, slipcased), 175 copies on rag paper (signed, numbered, marbled boards/green spine cloth, gilt morocco label), and ~20,000 trade copies in cloth.
Is this the true first?
US Knopf (1927) is the true first. Precedence within the first edition: the 50 Japan-vellum and 175 rag-paper SIGNED LIMITED copies are the premier states above the trade issue. The 'happned'/'suppper' typos and absence of topstain identify the earliest trade printing. UK Heinemann edition follows.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No contemporaneous book club for the 1927 first; the typos and lack of topstain separate early from later Knopf trade printings (later printings correct the typos and add a topstain). Modern reprints/Vintage paperbacks are obvious 'first thus.'
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Death Comes for the Archbishop a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First trade issue points (per the Cather Archive bibliography): NO topstain, and the misprints 'happned' on p.20 and 'suppper' present in early text; 1927 on title and copyright with Knopf's first-issue conventions. Three issues exist: 50 copies on Japan vellum (signed, numbered, full cream vellum, slipcased), 175 copies on rag paper (signed, numbered, marbled boards/green spine cloth, gilt morocco label), and ~20,000 trade copies in cloth.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Knopf (1927) is the true first. Precedence within the first edition: the 50 Japan-vellum and 175 rag-paper SIGNED LIMITED copies are the premier states above the trade issue. The 'happned'/'suppper' typos and absence of topstain identify the earliest trade printing. UK Heinemann edition follows.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No contemporaneous book club for the 1927 first; the typos and lack of topstain separate early from later Knopf trade printings (later printings correct the typos and add a topstain). Modern reprints/Vintage paperbacks are obvious 'first thus.'
I have a first edition of Death Comes for the Archbishop — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.