# Is "In This Our Life" by Ellen Glasgow a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1941) is identified by: The first edition prints the words First Edition on the copyright page. US Harcourt, Brace 1941 true first, identified by the stated First Edition on the copyright page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition prints the words First Edition on the copyright page
- Bound in black cloth boards with a red-and-gilt title label on the spine
- 467 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket is pictorial and carries the printed price on the front flap (present on an unclipped example); the gilt on the jacket is known to rub easily
- Awarded the Pulitzer Prize
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ellen Glasgow |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Company |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first edition prints the words First Edition on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The first edition prints the words First Edition on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth boards with a red-and-gilt title label on the spine; 467 pages. The first-issue dust jacket is pictorial and carries the printed price on the front flap (present on an unclipped example); the gilt on the jacket is known to rub easily. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

## Is this the true first?
US Harcourt, Brace 1941 true first, identified by the stated First Edition on the copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings remove the First Edition statement and may add a printing notice; reprints are clearly marked. Uncommon in the original jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In This Our Life* by Ellen Glasgow a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-this-our-life
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.