# Is "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo (J. B. Lippincott, 1939) is identified by: Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1939) hardcover is the true first; it was published in September 1939, days after war began in Europe. US Lippincott 1939 is the true first (it won an early National Book Award as the Most Original Book of 1939).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads J. B. Lippincott
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dalton Trumbo |
| Publisher | J. B. Lippincott |
| Year | 1939 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1939) hardcover is the true first; it was published in September 1939, days after war began in Europe |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Johnny Got His Gun* by Dalton Trumbo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/johnny-got-his-gun
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.