# Is "The Face of Time" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Face of Time by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1953) is identified by: First printing, Vanguard Press, New York, 1953. US first edition (Vanguard, 1953).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, Vanguard Press, New York, 1953
- The fifth and final volume of Farrell's O'Neill-O'Flaherty pentalogy (the Danny O'Neill series)
- Later printings and the University of Illinois Press reissue are clearly distinguishable
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Vanguard Press, New York, 1953 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, Vanguard Press, New York, 1953. The fifth and final volume of Farrell's O'Neill-O'Flaherty pentalogy (the Danny O'Neill series). Later printings and the University of Illinois Press reissue are clearly distinguishable.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Vanguard, 1953).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and modern reprints (University of Illinois Press) are identified as such; the Vanguard 1953 hardcover is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Face of Time* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-face-of-time
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.