# Is "French Girls Are Vicious and Other Stories" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of French Girls Are Vicious and Other Stories by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1955) is identified by: First printing, The Vanguard Press, New York, 1955; octavo, 177 pages. US first edition (Vanguard, 1955).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, The Vanguard Press, New York, 1955; octavo, 177 pages
- Story collection of nine stories (several previously appearing in magazines, all first collected in this hardcover)
- The dust jacket should carry the original printed retail price on the flap; an unclipped flap is the preferred state
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, The Vanguard Press, New York, 1955; octavo, 177 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, The Vanguard Press, New York, 1955; octavo, 177 pages. Story collection of nine stories (several previously appearing in magazines, all first collected in this hardcover). The dust jacket should carry the original printed retail price on the flap; an unclipped flap is the preferred state.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Vanguard, 1955).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are stated as such; the 1955 Vanguard hardcover with no additional printing statement is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *French Girls Are Vicious and Other Stories* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/french-girls-are-vicious-and-other-stories
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.