# Is "Kneel to the Rising Sun and Other Stories" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kneel to the Rising Sun and Other Stories by Erskine Caldwell (The Viking Press, 1935) is identified by: A signed limited edition of 300 copies (285 numbered for sale, 15 reserved) precedes the trade and is the true first; issued in a tan paper-covered slipcase with top edge gilt and a yellow silk ribbon marker, signed on the limitation page. US first overall is the signed limited of 300 copies, which precedes the trade edition; the unsigned trade printing follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- A signed limited edition of 300 copies (285 numbered for sale, 15 reserved) precedes the trade and is the true first; issued in a tan paper-covered slipcase with top edge gilt and a yellow silk ribbon marker, signed on the limitation page
- The trade first printing carries no statement of later printing on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | A signed limited edition of 300 copies (285 numbered for sale, 15 reserved) precedes the trade and is the true first; issued in a tan… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
A signed limited edition of 300 copies (285 numbered for sale, 15 reserved) precedes the trade and is the true first; issued in a tan paper-covered slipcase with top edge gilt and a yellow silk ribbon marker, signed on the limitation page. The trade first printing carries no statement of later printing on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US first overall is the signed limited of 300 copies, which precedes the trade edition; the unsigned trade printing follows. UK Secker edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later trade printings are noted on the copyright page; a Grosset & Dunlap reprint exists and is not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kneel to the Rising Sun and Other Stories* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kneel-to-the-rising-sun-and-other-stories
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.