# Is "Followers of the Sun" by Harvey Fergusson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Followers of the Sun by Harvey Fergusson (Knopf, 1936) is identified by: First edition thus, Alfred A. This 1936 Knopf collected edition is the first appearance of the three novels together under the 'Followers of the Sun' title; each constituent novel had its own earlier separate first edition (Blood of the Conquerors 1921, Wolf Song 1927, In Those Days 1929), so this volume is the first edition of the trilogy as a unit rather than of the individual texts.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition thus, Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1936, issued with the subtitle 'A Trilogy of the Santa Fe Trail.' This collected volume gathers Fergusson's three New Mexico Hispano-history novels: 'The Blood of the Conquerors'
- , 'Wolf Song'
- and 'In Those Days'
- Genuine Knopf production is authenticated by the Borzoi device and the 'A Note on the Type' colophon leaf; the copyright page carries the Knopf first-printing statement for this collected edition
- Publisher imprint reads Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harvey Fergusson |
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition thus, Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1936, issued with the subtitle 'A Trilogy of the Santa Fe Trail.' This collected volume… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition thus, Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1936, issued with the subtitle 'A Trilogy of the Santa Fe Trail.' This collected volume gathers Fergusson's three New Mexico Hispano-history novels: 'The Blood of the Conquerors' (1921), 'Wolf Song' (1927) and 'In Those Days' (1929). Genuine Knopf production is authenticated by the Borzoi device and the 'A Note on the Type' colophon leaf; the copyright page carries the Knopf first-printing statement for this collected edition.

## Is this the true first?
This 1936 Knopf collected edition is the first appearance of the three novels together under the 'Followers of the Sun' title; each constituent novel had its own earlier separate first edition (Blood of the Conquerors 1921, Wolf Song 1927, In Those Days 1929), so this volume is the first edition of the trilogy as a unit rather than of the individual texts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the 1936 Knopf first collected edition and are far less collectible. The Borzoi colophon and the 'A Note on the Type' page authenticate genuine Knopf production rather than a book-club reprint. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Followers of the Sun* by Harvey Fergusson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/followers-of-the-sun
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.