# Is "Dragon's Teeth" by Upton Sinclair a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair (The Viking Press, 1942) is identified by: The copyright page states First Published in January 1942 with no later printings indicated. US Viking 1942 true first, identified by the First Published in January 1942 statement with no further printing notices.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states First Published in January 1942 with no later printings indicated
- Red cloth with silver lettering and a silver ship design on the front cover; viii plus 631 pages
- First-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Second of the Lanny Budd series
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Upton Sinclair |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states First Published in January 1942 with no later printings indicated |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states First Published in January 1942 with no later printings indicated. Red cloth with silver lettering and a silver ship design on the front cover; viii plus 631 pages. First-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap. Second of the Lanny Budd series.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1942 true first, identified by the First Published in January 1942 statement with no further printing notices.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page; no significant book-club issue confusion for the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dragon's Teeth* by Upton Sinclair a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dragons-teeth
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.