Is My Home to Harlem a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page together with the Harper letter date code 'A-C' (A = January, C = 1928), placing the printing in January 1928
• It is bound in three-quarter black cloth over patterned/marbled paper boards with decorative endpapers and a violet top-stain; the scarce pictorial dust jacket was designed by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas

How Harper & Brothers marked a first edition

• 1912-1949: month/year letter code on copyright page. Month: A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, D=Apr, E=May, F=Jun, G=Jul, H=Aug, I=Sep, K=Oct, L=Nov, M=Dec (J skipped).
• From 1922: also began printing 'First Edition' on the copyright page in addition to the code.

Full Harper & Brothers first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Harper & Brothers (imprint reads 'New York and London'), January 1928, is the true first — widely cited as the first bestselling novel by a Black American writer. A separately published British trade edition could not be corroborated in this pass, so the census 'UK issue followed' note is left unverified; US Harper precedence is unambiguous regardless.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The date code is the key control: a copyright page lacking the 'A-C' code (bearing a later month/year code) or lacking the 'FIRST EDITION' statement indicates a later printing; the presence of both, with the Aaron Douglas jacket, marks the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Home to Harlem a first edition?

A first edition of Home to Harlem by Claude McKay (Harper & Brothers) is identified by: The first edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page together with the Harper letter date code 'A-C' (A = January, C = 1928), placing the printing in January 1928.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Harper & Brothers (imprint reads 'New York and London'), January 1928, is the true first — widely cited as the first bestselling novel by a Black American writer.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The date code is the key control: a copyright page lacking the 'A-C' code (bearing a later month/year code) or lacking the 'FIRST EDITION' statement indicates a later printing; the presence of both, with the Aaron Douglas jacket, marks the first.

I have a first edition of Home to Harlem — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.