# Is "Scarlet Sister Mary" by Julia Peterkin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin (Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1928) is identified by: Bobbs-Merrill first issue of this title has First Edition stated on the copyright page, title page dated 1928, bound in publisher's black cloth, in a first-issue jacket. US Bobbs-Merrill 1928 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bobbs-Merrill first issue of this title has First Edition stated on the copyright page, title page dated 1928, bound in publisher's black cloth, in a first-issue jacket
- Later trade printings add Second printing and similar statements
- Publisher imprint reads Bobbs-Merrill Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Julia Peterkin |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill Company |
| Year | 1928 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bobbs-Merrill first issue of this title has First Edition stated on the copyright page, title page dated 1928, bound in publisher's black… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bobbs-Merrill first issue of this title has First Edition stated on the copyright page, title page dated 1928, bound in publisher's black cloth, in a first-issue jacket. Later trade printings add Second printing and similar statements.

## Is this the true first?
US Bobbs-Merrill 1928 is the true first. A separate signed limited Airplane Edition of 1,000 copies, printed on thin India paper in flexible boards and signed on a tipped-in leaf, also exists; its sequence relative to the trade issue is not firmly established.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later trade printings carry added printing statements. No major book-club edition is a concern for the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Scarlet Sister Mary* by Julia Peterkin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/scarlet-sister-mary
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.