# Is "Repent in Haste" by John P. Marquand a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Repent in Haste by John P. Marquand (Little, Brown and Company, 1945) is identified by: First printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition convention on the copyright page: from 1940 onward Little, Brown states "First Edition" (earlier printings can also be distinguished by a "Published (month, year)" line with later printings normally noted). US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1945.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition convention on the copyright page: from 1940 onward Little, Brown states "First Edition" (earlier printings can also be distinguished by a "Published (month, year)" line with later printings normally noted)
- Bound in orange cloth with navy lettering to the front board and spine, this short novel of love and marriage in the wartime Pacific was published November 1945
- The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Richard Bartlett and Edward Karr and the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John P. Marquand |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition convention on the copyright page: from 1940 onward Little, Brown states "First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the Little, Brown first-edition convention on the copyright page: from 1940 onward Little, Brown states "First Edition" (earlier printings can also be distinguished by a "Published (month, year)" line with later printings normally noted). Bound in orange cloth with navy lettering to the front board and spine, this short novel of love and marriage in the wartime Pacific was published November 1945. The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Richard Bartlett and Edward Karr and the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US first, Little, Brown, Boston, 1945. First British edition published by Robert Hale, London, in 1949.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints exist; confirm the Little, Brown first-edition statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Repent in Haste* by John P. Marquand a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/repent-in-haste
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.