# Is "Jenny by Nature" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jenny by Nature by Erskine Caldwell (Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1961) is identified by: First printing, with the stated First Printing on the copyright page and no statement of any later printing. US first edition (Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, New York, 1961), stated First Printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, with the stated First Printing on the copyright page and no statement of any later printing
- Octavo of about 215 pages, bound in green paper-covered boards with a green/gray cloth spine stamped in silver
- First-issue dust jacket designed by Ben Feder; on an unclipped example the printed price is present on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Cudahy |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, with the stated First Printing on the copyright page and no statement of any later printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, with the stated First Printing on the copyright page and no statement of any later printing. Octavo of about 215 pages, bound in green paper-covered boards with a green/gray cloth spine stamped in silver. First-issue dust jacket designed by Ben Feder; on an unclipped example the printed price is present on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, New York, 1961), stated First Printing. The UK edition (Heinemann, 1962) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings exist; identify the true first by the stated First Printing and the absence of any later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jenny by Nature* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jenny-by-nature
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.