# Is "In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women" by Alice Walker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women by Alice Walker (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973) is identified by: Walker's first story collection; first book appearance of 'Everyday Use.' Copyright page states First edition with the letter line B C D E. US HBJ 1973 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Walker's first story collection; first book appearance of 'Everyday Use.' Copyright page states First edition with the letter line B C D E. For Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in the 1973-1983 window the 'A' was deliberately omitted, so 'First edition / B C D E' is the correct first-printing state, not a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Walker |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Walker's first story collection; first book appearance of 'Everyday Use.' Copyright page states First edition with the letter line B C D E.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Walker's first story collection; first book appearance of 'Everyday Use.' Copyright page states First edition with the letter line B C D E. For Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in the 1973-1983 window the 'A' was deliberately omitted, so 'First edition / B C D E' is the correct first-printing state, not a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
US HBJ 1973 is the true first. Key point: for Harcourt 1973-1983, a stated 'First edition' with the line 'B C D E' is the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings shorten the line to 'C D E', 'D E', and so on and drop the First edition statement; resold copies often lack the priced first-state jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women* by Alice Walker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-love-trouble-stories-of-black-women
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.