Is My Johnny Got His Gun a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The US J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1939) hardcover is the true first; it was published in September 1939, days after war began in Europe
• Lippincott indicated later printings/'impressions' on the copyright page, so a true first shows '1939' with no statement of a later impression
• It is bound in yellow cloth lettered in black with a red top-stain
• 309 pp., octavo
• The yellow decorative dust jacket is a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap and is uncommon

How J. B. Lippincott marked a first edition

• From ~1925: printed 'First Edition' on the copyright page of books deemed important; novels and children's books often NOT so marked.
• Reliably indicated later printings ('Second Printing', 'Third Printing', etc.), so absence of a later-printing notice is a key signal for the unmarked titles.

Full J. B. Lippincott first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Lippincott 1939 is the true first (it won an early National Book Award as the Most Original Book of 1939). No separate UK first edition is corroborated here; the US 1939 is the edition collected as the true first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Reprinting was suspended from 1941 until the end of the war; the 1959 reissue carrying Trumbo's new introduction is a later 'first thus' and must not be taken for the 1939 first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Johnny Got His Gun a first edition?

A first edition of Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo (J. B. Lippincott) is identified by: Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1939) hardcover is the true first; it was published in September 1939, days after war began in Europe.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Lippincott 1939 is the true first (it won an early National Book Award as the Most Original Book of 1939).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Reprinting was suspended from 1941 until the end of the war; the 1959 reissue carrying Trumbo's new introduction is a later 'first thus' and must not be taken for the 1939 first.

I have a first edition of Johnny Got His Gun — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.