# Is "One of Ours" by Willa Cather a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of One of Ours by Willa Cather (Alfred A. Knopf, 1922) is identified by: The true first is the signed limited edition of 345 copies: 35 copies on Imperial Japan vellum bound in ivory boards with gilt lettering, and 310 copies on Perusia handmade Italian paper in decorative paper boards with a quarter cream-cloth spine and slipcase. US Knopf 1922 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the signed limited edition of 345 copies: 35 copies on Imperial Japan vellum bound in ivory boards with gilt lettering, and 310 copies on Perusia handmade Italian paper in decorative paper boards with a quarter cream-cloth spine and slipcase
- All limited copies are signed on a hand-numbered limitation page and the copyright page reads 'Published, September, 1922.' The first trade edition is technically the second printing: its copyright page reads 'Second Printings, September, 1922,' bound in brown cloth with orange titles and a gilt design on the front, with an orange top stain
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Willa Cather |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1922 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the signed limited edition of 345 copies: 35 copies on Imperial Japan vellum bound in ivory boards with gilt lettering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is the signed limited edition of 345 copies: 35 copies on Imperial Japan vellum bound in ivory boards with gilt lettering, and 310 copies on Perusia handmade Italian paper in decorative paper boards with a quarter cream-cloth spine and slipcase. All limited copies are signed on a hand-numbered limitation page and the copyright page reads 'Published, September, 1922.' The first trade edition is technically the second printing: its copyright page reads 'Second Printings, September, 1922,' bound in brown cloth with orange titles and a gilt design on the front, with an orange top stain.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf 1922 is the true first. Precedence belongs to the signed limited edition of 345 copies. The trade issue is the second printing and is so stated on its copyright page; its dust jacket, issued in yellow, red, and blue-green variants, is harder to find than the limited edition itself.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Knopf trade printings state higher printing numbers. Grosset & Dunlap reprints exist and are clearly later.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *One of Ours* by Willa Cather a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/one-of-ours
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.