# Is "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" by Ernest J. Gaines a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines (Dial Press, 1971) is identified by: The first printing states "FIRST PRINTING" at the foot of the copyright page — a positive statement, so its absence disqualifies a copy. US The Dial Press, New York, 1971 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing states "FIRST PRINTING" at the foot of the copyright page — a positive statement, so its absence disqualifies a copy
- Boards are a brown simulated/faux leather
- Page count is given as 245 pp (some dealers cite 244)
- The jacket's rear panel carries a photograph of the author together with blurbs by Max Steele, Alice Walker, and James Alan McPherson; a priced jacket with the price present at the flap is the unclipped state
- Because the identification is a stated one, no number line applies and the 1971 date alone establishes nothing without the statement
- Publisher imprint reads Dial Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernest J. Gaines |
| Publisher | Dial Press |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing states "FIRST PRINTING" at the foot of the copyright page — a positive statement, so its absence disqualifies a copy |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first printing states "FIRST PRINTING" at the foot of the copyright page — a positive statement, so its absence disqualifies a copy. Boards are a brown simulated/faux leather. Page count is given as 245 pp (some dealers cite 244). The jacket's rear panel carries a photograph of the author together with blurbs by Max Steele, Alice Walker, and James Alan McPherson; a priced jacket with the price present at the flap is the unclipped state. Because the identification is a stated one, no number line applies and the 1971 date alone establishes nothing without the statement.

## Is this the true first?
US The Dial Press, New York, 1971 is the true first. The first British edition was published by Michael Joseph, London; the 1973 date carried in the census could not be corroborated against two independent sources and should not be asserted as fact. The Dial edition holds precedence regardless.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific book-club tells (blind stamp, absent flap price, reduced bulk) are documented for this title in the sources consulted, and none should be asserted without confirmation. The reliable disqualifier remains the negative one: any copy lacking the stated "FIRST PRINTING" line at the foot of the Dial copyright page is not the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman* by Ernest J. Gaines a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-autobiography-of-miss-jane-pittman
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.