# Is "Some Do Not..." by Ford Madox Ford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Some Do Not... by Ford Madox Ford (Duckworth & Co., 1924) is identified by: The true first is Duckworth & Co., London, published April 1924 — confirmed by Ford's editor/biographer Max Saunders and by Ford's bibliographer D.D. First volume of the 'Parade's End' tetralogy.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Duckworth & Co., London, published April 1924 — confirmed by Ford's editor/biographer Max Saunders and by Ford's bibliographer D.D. Harvey — preceding the American editions by months (Thomas Seltzer, New York, c
- September 1924
- Albert & Charles Boni, January 1925, printed from the same plates)
- The Duckworth first is an octavo in publisher's blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, dated 1924 on the title page with no later-printing statement, and was issued in a dust jacket
- The first American (Seltzer) issue is bound in half yellow-orange cloth over black paper boards with the spine stamped in black
- Publisher imprint reads Duckworth & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ford Madox Ford |
| Publisher | Duckworth & Co. |
| Year | 1924 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Duckworth & Co., London, published April 1924 — confirmed by Ford's editor/biographer Max Saunders and by Ford's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is Duckworth & Co., London, published April 1924 — confirmed by Ford's editor/biographer Max Saunders and by Ford's bibliographer D.D. Harvey — preceding the American editions by months (Thomas Seltzer, New York, c. September 1924; Albert & Charles Boni, January 1925, printed from the same plates). The Duckworth first is an octavo in publisher's blue cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, dated 1924 on the title page with no later-printing statement, and was issued in a dust jacket. The first American (Seltzer) issue is bound in half yellow-orange cloth over black paper boards with the spine stamped in black.

## Is this the true first?
First volume of the 'Parade's End' tetralogy. True first is Duckworth (London), April 1924; the New York Seltzer (1924) and Boni (1925) editions follow. The tetralogy's precedence is not uniform, and the finale 'Last Post' is sometimes cited as appearing in New York before London — but sources date the two 'Last Post' editions very close together (around January 1928), so that specific reversal is not firmly established and should be stated cautiously.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The American Albert & Charles Boni edition (Jan 1925) was printed from the Seltzer plates and is a later issue, not the first. Later in the sequence, 'Last Post' appeared as a US Literary Guild book-club edition (1928). No book-club edition is documented for the Duckworth 'Some Do Not...' first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Some Do Not...* by Ford Madox Ford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/some-do-not
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.