# Is "Diversey" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Diversey by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1928) is identified by: First printing identified by the Coward-McCann torch colophon on the copyright page; on later printings the torch portion of the colophon was removed, so its presence is the first-printing point. US first (Coward-McCann, New York, 1928); scarce.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the Coward-McCann torch colophon on the copyright page; on later printings the torch portion of the colophon was removed, so its presence is the first-printing point
- Kantor's debut novel, set in Chicago, and notably the first novel issued by the newly founded Coward-McCann
- The first-issue dust jacket lists Coward-McCann titles, including this one, on the rear panel and should carry its printed price on the flap (a copy may be price-clipped without losing first-edition status)
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1928 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the Coward-McCann torch colophon on the copyright page; on later printings the torch portion of the colophon… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the Coward-McCann torch colophon on the copyright page; on later printings the torch portion of the colophon was removed, so its presence is the first-printing point. Kantor's debut novel, set in Chicago, and notably the first novel issued by the newly founded Coward-McCann. The first-issue dust jacket lists Coward-McCann titles, including this one, on the rear panel and should carry its printed price on the flap (a copy may be price-clipped without losing first-edition status).

## Is this the true first?
US first (Coward-McCann, New York, 1928); scarce. No prior UK or other precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings exist and are distinguished by removal of the torch portion of the Coward-McCann colophon on the copyright page; the intact torch colophon is the first-printing point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Diversey* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/diversey
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.