# Is "El Goes South" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of El Goes South by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1930) is identified by: First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1930; orange cloth lettered in black, 298 pages. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1930).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1930; orange cloth lettered in black, 298 pages
- Coward-McCann firsts of this period carry no number line, so a first is identified by the 1930 title-page date with the publisher imprint and the absence of any later-printing or reprint notice on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1930; orange cloth lettered in black, 298 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1930; orange cloth lettered in black, 298 pages. Coward-McCann firsts of this period carry no number line, so a first is identified by the 1930 title-page date with the publisher imprint and the absence of any later-printing or reprint notice on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1930).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints exist; verify the copyright page shows no additional-printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *El Goes South* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/el-goes-south
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.