# Is "Glory for Me" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Glory for Me by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1945) is identified by: First printing of the novel in verse that became the basis for the film 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' Coward-McCann, New York, 1945; octavo, 268 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered and decorated in gilt. US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York in 1945.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the novel in verse that became the basis for the film 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' Coward-McCann, New York, 1945; octavo, 268 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered and decorated in gilt
- The first-issue dust jacket is blue and white lettered in red and carries the printed price on the front flap (present, not clipped); the spine panel is almost always found faded, so a bright spine is uncommon
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the novel in verse that became the basis for the film 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' Coward-McCann, New York, 1945… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing of the novel in verse that became the basis for the film 'The Best Years of Our Lives.' Coward-McCann, New York, 1945; octavo, 268 pages, bound in black cloth with the spine lettered and decorated in gilt. The first-issue dust jacket is blue and white lettered in red and carries the printed price on the front flap (present, not clipped); the spine panel is almost always found faded, so a bright spine is uncommon.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition; published by Coward-McCann in New York in 1945.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints noted; confirm the first-issue blue-and-white jacket with its printed price present and that no later-printing notice appears on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Glory for Me* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/glory-for-me
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.