# Is "Laura" by Vera Caspary a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Laura by Vera Caspary (Houghton Mifflin, 1943) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin placed the date in Arabic numerals on the title page of first printings and removed it on reprints, so the date '1943' printed on the title page is the essential first-printing point for this title. The Houghton Mifflin (Boston, 1943) edition is the true first in book form (the story had been serialized in Collier's in 1942).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin placed the date in Arabic numerals on the title page of first printings and removed it on reprints, so the date '1943' printed on the title page is the essential first-printing point for this title
- The first edition runs 237 pages, and the first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the flap
- Dealer catalogs describe the binding cloth inconsistently (blue cloth lettered in red is most often cited), so identification should rest on the title-page date rather than the binding
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vera Caspary |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin placed the date in Arabic numerals on the title page of first printings and removed it on reprints, so the date '1943'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin placed the date in Arabic numerals on the title page of first printings and removed it on reprints, so the date '1943' printed on the title page is the essential first-printing point for this title. The first edition runs 237 pages, and the first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the flap. Dealer catalogs describe the binding cloth inconsistently (blue cloth lettered in red is most often cited), so identification should rest on the title-page date rather than the binding.

## Is this the true first?
The Houghton Mifflin (Boston, 1943) edition is the true first in book form (the story had been serialized in Collier's in 1942). Eyre and Spottiswoode published the first UK edition in London in 1944, in blue cloth with a Bip Pares-designed jacket; both editions are collected, with the American edition holding precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A contemporary book-club printing dated 1943 exists and is frequently offered as a first; require the '1943' title-page date together with a priced jacket before calling a copy a first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Laura* by Vera Caspary a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/laura
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.