The points of issue
First edition, first printing with the W.T. Benda illustrations PRINTED ON COATED/GLOSSY paper and tipped/inserted as plates (first issue); a later state has the illustrations on the regular text paper. The title page reads 'My Antonia' with the diacritic; copyright 1918. Bound in tan cloth, dark-stamped, with the first-issue jacket priced accordingly.
Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin (1918) is the true first. The decisive precedence point is the FIRST-ISSUE Benda illustrations printed on glossy coated stock (later issue prints them on plain paper). UK Heinemann edition follows.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of the first; later Houghton printings move the illustrations to plain paper and/or reduce/remove plates. The glossy-plate Benda illustrations are the key to the earliest issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of My Antonia a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, first printing with the W.T. Benda illustrations PRINTED ON COATED/GLOSSY paper and tipped/inserted as plates (first issue); a later state has the illustrations on the regular text paper. The title page reads 'My Antonia' with the diacritic; copyright 1918. Bound in tan cloth, dark-stamped, with the first-issue jacket priced accordingly.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Houghton Mifflin (1918) is the true first. The decisive precedence point is the FIRST-ISSUE Benda illustrations printed on glossy coated stock (later issue prints them on plain paper). UK Heinemann edition follows.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition of the first; later Houghton printings move the illustrations to plain paper and/or reduce/remove plates. The glossy-plate Benda illustrations are the key to the earliest issue.
I have a first edition of My Antonia — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.