# Is "Intruder in the Dust" by William Faulkner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner (Random House, 1948) is identified by: "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page. Census claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page
- Random House's practice in this period was to state the first printing and remove the statement thereafter, so an unstated 1948 copy is a later printing
- Octavo, approximately 20.75 cm
- Bound in smooth black cloth with the titles and rules stamped in gilt and blue on the spine and front cover, with a blue topstain; the title page is printed in blue and black
- The jacket was designed by E. McKnight Kauffer and is the most-cited external point of the book
- Priced jacket, with the price present at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Random House

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Faulkner |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Printing" is stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
"First Printing" is stated on the copyright page. Random House's practice in this period was to state the first printing and remove the statement thereafter, so an unstated 1948 copy is a later printing. Octavo, approximately 20.75 cm. Bound in smooth black cloth with the titles and rules stamped in gilt and blue on the spine and front cover, with a blue topstain; the title page is printed in blue and black. The jacket was designed by E. McKnight Kauffer and is the most-cited external point of the book. Priced jacket, with the price present at the front flap. Dealers cite Petersen A24 and Brodsky & Hamblin 646; the title is a Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.

## Is this the true first?
Census claim confirmed. The true first is Random House, New York, 1948. The first UK edition is Chatto & Windus, London, 1949 — collected as the English first, but it follows the American issue by a year and does not precede. No original-language question arises: Faulkner wrote in English and the American issue is the first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific book-club issue of Intruder in the Dust was documented in the sources consulted; the stated "First Printing" is the decisive test and no later printing carries it. Book-club copies of this period are conventionally identified by a blind-stamped indent on the rear board and a jacket with no price at the flap, but that is a general-practice screen here rather than a documented point for this title. The 1949 MGM film tie-in printings and later Random House printings are the routine confusions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Intruder in the Dust* by William Faulkner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/intruder-in-the-dust
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.