# Is "The Coming of the War, 1914" by Bernadotte E. Schmitt a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Coming of the War, 1914 by Bernadotte E. Schmitt (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1930) is identified by: Two volumes, publisher's cloth. US Scribner (New York) is the true first, published 1930 in two volumes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two volumes, publisher's cloth
- As a Scribner book of this period, the first printing shows the Scribner capital 'A' on the copyright page; later printings lack the 'A' or carry a later letter or printing code
- First printings appear in red cloth
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bernadotte E. Schmitt |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two volumes, publisher's cloth |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Two volumes, publisher's cloth. As a Scribner book of this period, the first printing shows the Scribner capital 'A' on the copyright page; later printings lack the 'A' or carry a later letter or printing code. First printings appear in red cloth.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner (New York) is the true first, published 1930 in two volumes. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1931.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the lone capital 'A' on the copyright page of both volumes; absence of the 'A' (or a later letter/code) indicates a later printing. The Scribner 'A' system applies to first printings from 1930 onward.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Coming of the War, 1914* by Bernadotte E. Schmitt a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-coming-of-the-war-1914
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.