The points of issue
First edition, first printing, 1938, octavo, 120 pages, in publisher's tan cloth with the black-and-tan dust jacket. Edition of 3,000 copies. A verse play, A Melodrama in Three Acts, written jointly with W. H. Auden. Bloomfield & Mendelson A18.
Is this the true first?
UK Faber & Faber is the true first and precedes the US Random House edition of 1939. The work is a collaboration with W. H. Auden, though catalogued here under Isherwood.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of On the Frontier a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, first printing, 1938, octavo, 120 pages, in publisher's tan cloth with the black-and-tan dust jacket. Edition of 3,000 copies. A verse play, A Melodrama in Three Acts, written jointly with W. H. Auden. Bloomfield & Mendelson A18.
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. UK Faber & Faber is the true first and precedes the US Random House edition of 1939. The work is a collaboration with W. H. Auden, though catalogued here under Isherwood.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club issue.
I have a first edition of On the Frontier — 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.