# Is "The City Boy" by Herman Wouk a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The City Boy by Herman Wouk (Simon & Schuster, 1948) is identified by: First printing with the copyright page reading COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY HERMAN WOUK and carrying no later-printing statement; the book was manufactured by American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York. US Simon & Schuster is the true first; a UK edition followed later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing with the copyright page reading COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY HERMAN WOUK and carrying no later-printing statement; the book was manufactured by American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York
- Bound in red boards with the author's initials stamped in gilt on the front cover and the title, author, and publisher in gilt on the spine, the title set over a black rectangular panel
- The first-issue dust jacket gives the full title (The City Boy: The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder and His Cousin, Cliff), carries the printed retail price on the front flap, and has an author photograph and brief biography on the back panel
- Wouk's second novel
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Herman Wouk |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing with the copyright page reading COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY HERMAN WOUK and carrying no later-printing statement; the book was… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing with the copyright page reading COPYRIGHT, 1948, BY HERMAN WOUK and carrying no later-printing statement; the book was manufactured by American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York. Bound in red boards with the author's initials stamped in gilt on the front cover and the title, author, and publisher in gilt on the spine, the title set over a black rectangular panel. The first-issue dust jacket gives the full title (The City Boy: The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder and His Cousin, Cliff), carries the printed retail price on the front flap, and has an author photograph and brief biography on the back panel. Wouk's second novel.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster is the true first; a UK edition followed later. The title was later shortened to City Boy for the 1969 Twentieth Anniversary Edition, so the longer title on the title page is a first-edition tell.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are noted on the copyright page; a first printing shows only the 1948 copyright line with no additional printing notation.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The City Boy* by Herman Wouk a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-city-boy
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.