# Is "James Beard's American Cookery" by James Beard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of James Beard's American Cookery by James Beard (Little, Brown and Company, 1972) is identified by: First printing per Little, Brown convention: the copyright page states First Edition with no later-printing line (Little, Brown stated First Edition or First Printing from 1940 until adopting number lines in the later 1970s). The US Little, Brown 1972 edition is the true first; this is Beard's magnum opus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing per Little, Brown convention: the copyright page states First Edition with no later-printing line (Little, Brown stated First Edition or First Printing from 1940 until adopting number lines in the later 1970s)
- Thick octavo of about 877 pages, illustrated by Earl Thollander, in publisher's cloth
- Verify the First Edition slug and the absence of any later-printing indication
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Beard |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing per Little, Brown convention: the copyright page states First Edition with no later-printing line (Little, Brown stated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing per Little, Brown convention: the copyright page states First Edition with no later-printing line (Little, Brown stated First Edition or First Printing from 1940 until adopting number lines in the later 1970s). Thick octavo of about 877 pages, illustrated by Earl Thollander, in publisher's cloth. Verify the First Edition slug and the absence of any later-printing indication.

## Is this the true first?
The US Little, Brown 1972 edition is the true first; this is Beard's magnum opus. Confirm via the stated First Edition and matching 1972 copyright.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions exist, typically smaller and lighter, often with a blind-stamp on the rear board, lacking the jacket flap price and lacking the First Edition statement. Rely on the copyright-page statement plus the presence of a jacket price to separate the trade first from a book-club copy.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *James Beard's American Cookery* by James Beard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/james-beards-american-cookery
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.