# Is "Main Street" by Sinclair Lewis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (Harcourt, Brace and Howe, New York, 1920) is identified by: First issue, first state: imprint reads 'HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE' on the title page and spine (the firm was renamed Harcourt, Brace & Co. True US first; the US Harcourt edition precedes the UK Hodder & Stoughton edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First issue, first state: imprint reads 'HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE' on the title page and spine (the firm was renamed Harcourt, Brace & Co. shortly after)
- 1920 on both title and copyright pages
- Textual first-state points: a perfect, unbroken 'y' in the word 'May' on page 387, and an unbattered '54' in the page number on page 54
- Blue cloth with orange lettering; first-issue dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Howe, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sinclair Lewis |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Howe, New York |
| Year | 1920 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First issue, first state: imprint reads 'HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE' on the title page and spine (the firm was renamed Harcourt, Brace & Co.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First issue, first state: imprint reads 'HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE' on the title page and spine (the firm was renamed Harcourt, Brace & Co. shortly after); 1920 on both title and copyright pages. Textual first-state points: a perfect, unbroken 'y' in the word 'May' on page 387, and an unbattered '54' in the page number on page 54. Blue cloth with orange lettering; first-issue dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; the US Harcourt edition precedes the UK Hodder & Stoughton edition. The 'Harcourt, Brace and Howe' imprint is the principal first-issue point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition for the first. Later printings carry the 'Harcourt, Brace & Company' imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Main Street* by Sinclair Lewis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/main-street
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.