# Is "The Custom of the Country" by Edith Wharton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1913) is identified by: First issue: 'Published October, 1913' on the copyright page with the Scribner seal; octavo of 594 pages in red cloth lettered in gilt on front cover and spine. True US first; the US Scribner edition precedes the UK Macmillan edition of 1913.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First issue: 'Published October, 1913' on the copyright page with the Scribner seal; octavo of 594 pages in red cloth lettered in gilt on front cover and spine
- Wharton bibliography reference Garrison A15
- First-issue dust jacket extremely scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edith Wharton |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1913 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First issue: 'Published October, 1913' on the copyright page with the Scribner seal; octavo of 594 pages in red cloth lettered in gilt on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First issue: 'Published October, 1913' on the copyright page with the Scribner seal; octavo of 594 pages in red cloth lettered in gilt on front cover and spine. Wharton bibliography reference Garrison A15. First-issue dust jacket extremely scarce.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; the US Scribner edition precedes the UK Macmillan edition of 1913.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Later printings note later months.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Custom of the Country* by Edith Wharton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-custom-of-the-country
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.