# Is "The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties" by Mark E. Neely Jr. a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties by Mark E. Neely Jr. (Oxford University Press, 1991) is identified by: Cloth; first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in '1' per Oxford's convention, with no later-printing statement. Oxford University Press (New York) issued the true first in 1991.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth; first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in '1' per Oxford's convention, with no later-printing statement
- The dust jacket is priced
- Publisher imprint reads Oxford University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mark E. Neely Jr. |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth; first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in '1' per Oxford's convention, with no later-printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Cloth; first printing carries a complete number line on the copyright page ending in '1' per Oxford's convention, with no later-printing statement. The dust jacket is priced.

## Is this the true first?
Oxford University Press (New York) issued the true first in 1991. Won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1992.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club variant of note; identify the first by a complete number line and absence of any later-printing or paperback statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties* by Mark E. Neely Jr. a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fate-of-liberty-abraham-lincoln-and-civil-liberties
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.