# Is "Origins of New Mexico Families signed first" by Fray Angélico Chávez a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Origins of New Mexico Families signed first by Fray Angélico Chávez (Historical Society of New Mexico, 1954) is identified by: The true first edition is the Historical Society of New Mexico printing, Santa Fe, 1954, collating xvii plus 339 pages with illustrations, facsimiles, and genealogical tables. True first is the 1954 Historical Society of New Mexico printing in wrappers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is the Historical Society of New Mexico printing, Santa Fe, 1954, collating xvii plus 339 pages with illustrations, facsimiles, and genealogical tables
- Contrary to what the 'signed first' framing might suggest of a cloth hardcover, the 1954 first was issued in printed wrappers (softcover with flaps), with the illustrated front panel; first-edition copies are genuinely scarce and often show spine wear or reinforcement given the fragile binding
- A first edition so bound and dated 1954 by the Historical Society of New Mexico, ideally with an authentic Fray Angélico Chávez signature, is the point of identification
- Publisher imprint reads Historical Society of New Mexico
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Fray Angélico Chávez |
| Publisher | Historical Society of New Mexico |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is the Historical Society of New Mexico printing, Santa Fe, 1954, collating xvii plus 339 pages with illustrations… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is the Historical Society of New Mexico printing, Santa Fe, 1954, collating xvii plus 339 pages with illustrations, facsimiles, and genealogical tables. Contrary to what the 'signed first' framing might suggest of a cloth hardcover, the 1954 first was issued in printed wrappers (softcover with flaps), with the illustrated front panel; first-edition copies are genuinely scarce and often show spine wear or reinforcement given the fragile binding. A first edition so bound and dated 1954 by the Historical Society of New Mexico, ideally with an authentic Fray Angélico Chávez signature, is the point of identification.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1954 Historical Society of New Mexico printing in wrappers. Do not confuse it with the revised and expanded edition issued in 1992 by the Museum of New Mexico Press (ISBN 0-89013-239-9), which reset and enlarged the text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1992 Museum of New Mexico Press revised/expanded edition and any later reprints carry the enlarged text but are not the 1954 first edition. Use the 1954 Historical Society of New Mexico imprint and the wrappered format to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Origins of New Mexico Families signed first* by Fray Angélico Chávez a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/origins-of-new-mexico-families-signed-first
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.