# Is "Manhattan Transfer" by John Dos Passos a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1925) is identified by: First printing has First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code K-Z (K equals October, Z equals the year 1925). True US first; precedes the UK Constable edition (1927).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code K-Z (K equals October, Z equals the year 1925)
- Cloth stamped in orange; first-issue dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Dos Passos |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers, New York |
| Year | 1925 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code K-Z (K equals October, Z equals the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code K-Z (K equals October, Z equals the year 1925). Cloth stamped in orange; first-issue dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Constable edition (1927). The First Edition statement plus the K-Z code identifies the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue for the first. Later printings carry a different month-year code pair on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Manhattan Transfer* by John Dos Passos a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/manhattan-transfer
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.