# Is "Forever Amber" by Kathleen Winsor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor (The Macmillan Company, 1944) is identified by: The Macmillan Company, 1944, the scandalous historical romance bestseller that prefigured the bodice-ripper. The US Macmillan first is the true first, a landmark precursor to the modern historical romance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Macmillan Company, 1944, the scandalous historical romance bestseller that prefigured the bodice-ripper
- The true first states 'first printing' on the copyright page (Macmillan did not use a number line for this title at the time)
- Thick octavo, green cloth, about 972 pages, with map endpapers
- First-state jacket priced on the front flap, with noted jacket variants (one printed in black, one in blue)
- Banned in several states, which fueled sales
- Publisher imprint reads The Macmillan Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathleen Winsor |
| Publisher | The Macmillan Company |
| Year | 1944 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Macmillan Company, 1944, the scandalous historical romance bestseller that prefigured the bodice-ripper |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Macmillan Company, 1944, the scandalous historical romance bestseller that prefigured the bodice-ripper. The true first states 'first printing' on the copyright page (Macmillan did not use a number line for this title at the time). Thick octavo, green cloth, about 972 pages, with map endpapers. First-state jacket priced on the front flap, with noted jacket variants (one printed in black, one in blue). Banned in several states, which fueled sales.

## Is this the true first?
The US Macmillan first is the true first, a landmark precursor to the modern historical romance. It went on sale October 16, 1944; confirm the 'first printing' statement on the copyright page rather than relying on a date line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book reprinted constantly through 1944-45. Confirm the 'first printing' statement (later printings are so stated) and a priced first-state jacket. Book-club copies omit the price and may carry a blind stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Forever Amber* by Kathleen Winsor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/forever-amber
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.