# Is "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story" by Martin Luther King Jr. a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story by Martin Luther King Jr. (Harper & Brothers, 1958) is identified by: Harper & Brothers, New York, 1958. US Harper & Brothers (New York) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harper & Brothers, New York, 1958
- The first printing carries the Harper letter-code cipher H-H on the copyright page, denoting the first printing under Harper's month-year code system
- First-state dust jacket is priced on the front flap
- This was King's first book
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harper & Brothers, New York, 1958 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harper & Brothers, New York, 1958. The first printing carries the Harper letter-code cipher H-H on the copyright page, denoting the first printing under Harper's month-year code system. First-state dust jacket is priced on the front flap. This was King's first book.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Brothers (New York) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry a different Harper code (for example I-H on the second printing); the H-H code is the first-printing point. Book-club issues lack the jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story* by Martin Luther King Jr. a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stride-toward-freedom-the-montgomery-story
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.