# Is "Say! Is This the U.S.A.?" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Say! Is This the U.S.A.? by Erskine Caldwell (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941) is identified by: First printing of the Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White photo-text collaboration (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941), a folio measuring roughly 9 by 12 and a quarter inches, about 182 pages illustrated throughout with black-and-white Bourke-White photographs, many full-page. US first edition (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White photo-text collaboration (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941), a folio measuring roughly 9 by 12 and a quarter inches, about 182 pages illustrated throughout with black-and-white Bourke-White photographs, many full-page
- Bound in pictorial cloth boards with the title stamped on spine and covers, the lettering to spine prone to fading; the front board carries the photographic design
- Publisher imprint reads Duell, Sloan and Pearce
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Duell, Sloan and Pearce |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White photo-text collaboration (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941), a folio… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing of the Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White photo-text collaboration (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941), a folio measuring roughly 9 by 12 and a quarter inches, about 182 pages illustrated throughout with black-and-white Bourke-White photographs, many full-page. Bound in pictorial cloth boards with the title stamped on spine and covers, the lettering to spine prone to fading; the front board carries the photographic design.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints exist; the 1941 first printing is the priority issue. Often found lacking the fragile dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Say! Is This the U.S.A.?* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/say-is-this-the-usa
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.