# Is "Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Mass." by John P. Marquand a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Mass. by John P. Marquand (Minton, Balch & Company, 1925) is identified by: First printing carries no printing designation on the verso of the title page, which bears Marquand's full whimsical title, 'Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Masstts, first in the East, first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the western world.' Bound in original cloth. US first edition (Minton, Balch & Company, New York, 1925); one of Marquand's only two works of non-fiction, published before The Late George Apley made his reputation.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries no printing designation on the verso of the title page, which bears Marquand's full whimsical title, 'Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Masstts, first in the East, first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the western world.' Bound in original cloth
- Biography of the eccentric Newburyport merchant, illustrated by Philip Kappel
- Publisher imprint reads Minton, Balch & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John P. Marquand |
| Publisher | Minton, Balch & Company |
| Year | 1925 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries no printing designation on the verso of the title page, which bears Marquand's full whimsical title, 'Lord Timothy… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing carries no printing designation on the verso of the title page, which bears Marquand's full whimsical title, 'Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Masstts, first in the East, first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the western world.' Bound in original cloth. Biography of the eccentric Newburyport merchant, illustrated by Philip Kappel.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Minton, Balch & Company, New York, 1925); one of Marquand's only two works of non-fiction, published before The Late George Apley made his reputation. Later revised and reissued as Timothy Dexter Revisited in 1960.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Subsequent printings are explicitly marked 'Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' and so on; the first carries no such statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Mass.* by John P. Marquand a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lord-timothy-dexter-of-newburyport-mass
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.