# Is "Focus (novel)" by Arthur Miller a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Focus (novel) by Arthur Miller (Reynal & Hitchcock, 1945) is identified by: Reynal & Hitchcock, New York, 1945. US Reynal & Hitchcock 1945 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Reynal & Hitchcock, New York, 1945
- Cloth boards (recorded in grey or tan cloth, lettered in black on the front board and in black and blue on the spine), with a dust jacket bearing a geometric Bauhaus-style design and the original price printed on the front flap
- 217 pages
- Miller's only novel
- Publisher imprint reads Reynal & Hitchcock
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Miller |
| Publisher | Reynal & Hitchcock |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Reynal & Hitchcock, New York, 1945 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Reynal & Hitchcock, New York, 1945. Cloth boards (recorded in grey or tan cloth, lettered in black on the front board and in black and blue on the spine), with a dust jacket bearing a geometric Bauhaus-style design and the original price printed on the front flap. 217 pages. Miller's only novel.

## Is this the true first?
US Reynal & Hitchcock 1945 is the true first. A UK Victor Gollancz edition also appeared in 1945, after the US first; the record's claim of a 1949 Gollancz first was incorrect.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Find Club edition exists and must be distinguished from the trade first; watch for book-club markings and absence of the front-flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Focus (novel)* by Arthur Miller a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/focus-novel
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.