# Is "Four of a Kind" by John P. Marquand a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Four of a Kind by John P. Marquand (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1923) is identified by: First printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing. US first edition (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1923).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing
- The Scribner seal alone is not a reliable indicator: it appears on printings other than the first and was not used consistently to mark first editions, so do not rely on it
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John P. Marquand |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1923 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the date on the title page matching the copyright page with no statement of a later printing. The Scribner seal alone is not a reliable indicator: it appears on printings other than the first and was not used consistently to mark first editions, so do not rely on it.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1923). An early Marquand collection of magazine fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are noted as such on the copyright page; presence or absence of the publisher's seal does not by itself establish a first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Four of a Kind* by John P. Marquand a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/four-of-a-kind
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.