# Is "Poor Fool" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Poor Fool by Erskine Caldwell (Rariora Press, 1930) is identified by: First edition, Rariora Press, New York, 1930, limited to 1,000 numbered copies which constituted the entire edition (no trade printing). US first edition; the limited 1,000-copy printing is the only original edition, making it scarce.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Rariora Press, New York, 1930, limited to 1,000 numbered copies which constituted the entire edition (no trade printing)
- Illustrated by Alexander Couard, printed from Caslon type on Utopian laid paper, bound in blue buckram with gilt spine lettering
- A boxing novel
- Caldwell's second book
- Publisher imprint reads Rariora Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Rariora Press |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Rariora Press, New York, 1930, limited to 1,000 numbered copies which constituted the entire edition (no trade printing) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Rariora Press, New York, 1930, limited to 1,000 numbered copies which constituted the entire edition (no trade printing). Illustrated by Alexander Couard, printed from Caslon type on Utopian laid paper, bound in blue buckram with gilt spine lettering. A boxing novel; Caldwell's second book.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition; the limited 1,000-copy printing is the only original edition, making it scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition and no separate trade edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Poor Fool* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/poor-fool
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.