# Is "The 42nd Parallel" by John Dos Passos a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1930) is identified by: First volume of the U.S.A. True US first; precedes the UK Constable edition of 1930.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First volume of the U.S.A. trilogy, published February 1930
- Bound in dark red cloth spine with patterned-paper boards and a printed paper spine label; first printing carries the Harper & Brothers date code on the copyright page (Harper used a two-letter month-and-year code in this era, with the year letter corresponding to 1930)
- Interior black-and-white illustrations are by Reginald Marsh
- First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Dos Passos |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers, New York |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First volume of the U.S.A. trilogy, published February 1930 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First volume of the U.S.A. trilogy, published February 1930. Bound in dark red cloth spine with patterned-paper boards and a printed paper spine label; first printing carries the Harper & Brothers date code on the copyright page (Harper used a two-letter month-and-year code in this era, with the year letter corresponding to 1930). Interior black-and-white illustrations are by Reginald Marsh. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Constable edition of 1930.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue for the first. Later printings carry a different Harper date code on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The 42nd Parallel* by John Dos Passos a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-42nd-parallel
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.