# Is "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" by Thornton Wilder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (Albert & Charles Boni, 1927) is identified by: First trade edition: title page printed in green and black, copyright page reading Copyright, 1927, by Albert & Charles Boni, Inc. The US Boni 1927 trade edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade edition: title page printed in green and black, copyright page reading Copyright, 1927, by Albert & Charles Boni, Inc. with no later-printing statement, illustrated in Art Deco style by Amy Drevenstedt
- First-issue jacket
- Later printings add a printing line beneath the copyright (for example Thirteenth Printing, April, 1928)
- Publisher imprint reads Albert & Charles Boni
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thornton Wilder |
| Publisher | Albert & Charles Boni |
| Year | 1927 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade edition: title page printed in green and black, copyright page reading Copyright, 1927, by Albert & Charles Boni, Inc. with no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First trade edition: title page printed in green and black, copyright page reading Copyright, 1927, by Albert & Charles Boni, Inc. with no later-printing statement, illustrated in Art Deco style by Amy Drevenstedt. First-issue jacket. Later printings add a printing line beneath the copyright (for example Thirteenth Printing, April, 1928).

## Is this the true first?
The US Boni 1927 trade edition is the true first. The signed limited edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent and signed by both Wilder and Kent is dated 1929 and is a later illustrated edition, not the first issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book was a runaway bestseller and was reprinted heavily; later printings state a printing number. Grosset reprints are common.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bridge of San Luis Rey* by Thornton Wilder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bridge-of-san-luis-rey
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.