# Is "Father and Son" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Father and Son by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1940) is identified by: First printing has no statement of a later printing on the copyright page. US first edition, published in New York by The Vanguard Press in 1940.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has no statement of a later printing on the copyright page
- Vanguard typically named subsequent printings; absence of any such statement indicates the first
- Third novel in Farrell's Danny O'Neill pentalogy
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has no statement of a later printing on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing has no statement of a later printing on the copyright page. Vanguard typically named subsequent printings; absence of any such statement indicates the first. Third novel in Farrell's Danny O'Neill pentalogy.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, published in New York by The Vanguard Press in 1940.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are stated as such on the copyright page; the first carries no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Father and Son* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/father-and-son
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.