# Is "His Family" by Ernest Poole a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of His Family by Ernest Poole (The Macmillan Company, 1917) is identified by: First Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (awarded 1918). US true first; Macmillan 1917 is the only first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (awarded 1918)
- Published May 1917
- Cloth boards with title in gilt on the spine; title page and copyright page both dated 1917, with the copyright statement reading 'Set up and electrotyped
- Published May, 1917' and no later-printing line
- Earliest copies have the publisher's advertisements at the rear
- Publisher imprint reads The Macmillan Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernest Poole |
| Publisher | The Macmillan Company |
| Year | 1917 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (awarded 1918) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (awarded 1918). Published May 1917. Cloth boards with title in gilt on the spine; title page and copyright page both dated 1917, with the copyright statement reading 'Set up and electrotyped. Published May, 1917' and no later-printing line. Earliest copies have the publisher's advertisements at the rear.

## Is this the true first?
US true first; Macmillan 1917 is the only first. Note that the award year (1918) differs from the publication year (1917), which collectors frequently mis-date.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note. Later Macmillan printings add a printing statement after the 'Published May, 1917' line. Grosset & Dunlap reprints are inexpensive and clearly marked.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *His Family* by Ernest Poole a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/his-family
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.