# Is "Look Homeward, Angel" by Thomas Wolfe a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1929) is identified by: First printing carries the Scribner's seal (the publisher's printer's mark) on the copyright page with no notice of later printings; the title page is dated 1929. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1930.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Wolfe's first book
- First printing carries the Scribner's seal (the publisher's printer's mark) on the copyright page with no notice of later printings; the title page is dated 1929
- Bound in dark blue cloth
- The dedication to Aline Bernstein ('A.B.') is present
- First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price and the Doris Ulmann photograph of Wolfe with biography on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Wolfe |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Wolfe's first book |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Wolfe's first book. First printing carries the Scribner's seal (the publisher's printer's mark) on the copyright page with no notice of later printings; the title page is dated 1929. Bound in dark blue cloth. The dedication to Aline Bernstein ('A.B.') is present. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price and the Doris Ulmann photograph of Wolfe with biography on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1930. The Scribner seal on the copyright page is the definitive first-printing mark for 1929.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club for the true first. The 2000 'O Lost' restored-text edition is a separate publication, not a first of this book.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Look Homeward, Angel* by Thomas Wolfe a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/look-homeward-angel
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.