# Is "Gulf Coast Stories" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gulf Coast Stories by Erskine Caldwell (Little, Brown and Company, 1956) is identified by: First edition stated on the copyright page, Little, Brown and Company, Boston (with Toronto imprint on the title page), 1956. The US Little, Brown edition of 1956 is the true first; the UK edition followed from Heinemann in 1957.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition stated on the copyright page, Little, Brown and Company, Boston (with Toronto imprint on the title page), 1956
- Little, Brown first printings of this period carry 'First Edition' or 'First Printing' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement
- A collection of gulf-coast stories bound in green cloth and issued in a pictorial dust jacket; a correct first-issue jacket retains its printed price at the top of the front flap and is unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition stated on the copyright page, Little, Brown and Company, Boston (with Toronto imprint on the title page), 1956 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition stated on the copyright page, Little, Brown and Company, Boston (with Toronto imprint on the title page), 1956. Little, Brown first printings of this period carry 'First Edition' or 'First Printing' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. A collection of gulf-coast stories bound in green cloth and issued in a pictorial dust jacket; a correct first-issue jacket retains its printed price at the top of the front flap and is unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The US Little, Brown edition of 1956 is the true first; the UK edition followed from Heinemann in 1957.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are normally indicated by a printing statement on the copyright page; a Signet mass-market paperback (with cover art) followed in 1957 and is easily distinguished from the cloth first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gulf Coast Stories* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gulf-coast-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.