Is My Copy of Mornings in Mexico a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The Knopf first American edition of Mornings in Mexico is dated 1927 on the title page with no statement of a later printing, which is correct for Knopf in this period
• It is bound in publisher's decorated orange cloth, lettered and ornamented in green and black on the upper cover and spine, and carries the Borzoi colophon
• The essays were written out of Lawrence's time at the Kiowa Ranch near Taos and in Oaxaca
• A first-state example retains its pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present and unclipped

How Knopf marked a first edition

• 1915–c.1933 (no stated-edition era): first printings carry NO first-edition notation at all. Identify by EXCLUSION — a genuine first has none of the later-printing legends ('Second Printing,' 'Third Printing,' etc.)…

Full Knopf first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The London edition (Martin Secker) and the New York edition (Alfred A. Knopf) both appeared in 1927. The Secker edition is generally taken as the true first; the Knopf 1927 printing is the first American edition and is itself a genuine first of the American issue (Roberts A34).P-005410

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Borzoi colophon and “A Note on the Type” page authenticate genuine Knopf production rather than a book club reprint. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.P-005411

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Mornings in Mexico a first edition?

A first edition of Mornings in Mexico by D.H. Lawrence (Knopf) is identified by: The Knopf first American edition of Mornings in Mexico is dated 1927 on the title page with no statement of a later printing, which is correct for Knopf in this period.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The London edition (Martin Secker) and the New York edition (Alfred A. Knopf) both appeared in 1927.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Borzoi colophon and “A Note on the Type” page authenticate genuine Knopf production rather than a book club reprint. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

I have a first edition of Mornings in Mexico — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.